The Lone Archangel
by CeriaHalcyon
Summary: 07.29.08 Archangel is currently paused and most likely will not be completed.
1. The humbled

_**Revised 8.25.07**_

_**Disclaimer: **If you bleach your hair, does it turn orange? I wonder if that's what Kubo is implying? Don't go blaming me for ruining your hair, bleach isn't mine! _

_**The archangel **_

_**I **The humbled _

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_To you I make the solemn vow, _

_Let us return to the second dawn of our fight, _

_Endowed with the strength we hold this night, _

_This life in payment, soul entrusted to the younger self. _

_Zangetsu, you and I _

_Our wings will take dominance of the sky, heaven and earth…_

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Sado had fallen at the solitary hand of an arrancar. A salmon shaded aura lay upon his destroyed arm, rejecting its gruesome state. Tsubaki had been wiped out with even less effort that had taken down Yastora. Orihime Inoue was about to join the fate of her friends as a guillotine of a fist came down upon her. For once she had at least tried to stand up and save everyone, tried not to depend of Kurosaki-kun or anyone else, she wanted to show him and him alone that she was just as strong. As the white and tan brick wall of a fist came down, she thought of little else, aside from the fact she had failed again.

The end never came, it were as though time itself slowed and an Ichigo appeared as a swirl of black only to be joined by a second one, that inexplicably merged into the first, assuming a larger more dominating presence which arrived incalculable seconds before he actually appeared.

A flash of black intercepted the falling meteor of a knuckled extension, and the shade of orange stole her attention, a brick wall had appeared to stop the evil.

He had saved her.

Inoue stuttered and stumbled for a moment, in a mixture of relief and shame, he had come as he always did, he was predictable in that sense, but she was sick of always being saved. What was the point of her having abilities if all she was fated to do was heal?

"Kurosaki-kun? I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun, sorry I couldn't save everyone."

He didn't turn to face her unlike the time before; he remained focused not on the weakest of the espada but the fourth that accompanied him.

"It's alright Inoue…" He had spoken far less than he would have normally.

Thrusting his blade forward, the orange haired shinigami spoke no platitude or promise of vanquishing the hollows, this Ichigo was all business.

Pure ivory reiatsu bristled from the pores of his skin, spreading out to the tips of his hair, outlining it in alabaster. It was as though he was wearing glowing contacts as his eyes had furthermore taken on the reflective appearance of the aura. It spread to all corners and quarters of him, and when there was no more of him to cover, the aura exploded outward, knocking back the earth around him as it slowly backed away kneeling before him.

With a solitary word, the entire city grew inexplicably dark, as if all light had also been given, like the retreating earth, in appeasement of a higher form of supreme existence.

With a roar befitting the greatest of the tyrant lizards, the emerald-eyed arrancar took a step back; the presence, which had just crashed over him, brought an ironic thought to his mind. It was a power far beyond captain level, which the kid was reported to have just reached.

A solitary word had brought forth from will the power of a volcanic eruption.

'_This must be the one we were searching for, no wonder Aizen-sama was impressed._'

It had taken him two days to learn the sequential word for the final release, and four years to master completely. It was not the upright shinigami, which appeared at the end of the explosion, which had encompassed at least a block of Karakura. Out of the remnant of lingering debris, knelt a shinigami in battle stance, his legs bent back as he stood with his solid black Nodaichi forward, blade curving down as both hands firmly held the hilt inches from the right side of his face. Respectively, his legs were stretched and bent in the most appropriate form to support the shape his arms had taken.

It wasn't the best stance a warrior could apply; rather it was a foolish one. Directly, and from the right quadrant of defense it was perfect, but when fighting from the opposing angle, it wasn't always the best choice. Nevertheless, it left everything below the arms unprotected.

Regardless of efficiency, Kurosaki Ichigo held the reiatsu-supercharged extension of himself like a samurai, poised to kill, with an emphasis on willing and able more so than ready.

Announcing to the world the name of his sword, Ichigo raised himself upward but still maintained the positioning of the hands and blade.

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Inoue regarded this Ichigo carefully, noting his presence was fierce and unrestricting, rather violent compared to his normal bored and carefree appearance.

It wasn't the same as when she had been at the execution grounds, there was a shade, no a dump truck worth of black which appeared to have fallen upon it. The reiatsu didn't sing of despair, only that it had seen an unforeseen amount of it, for the moment, despite its darkness and sad texture through smell, it was joyous, as if he had been gone a long time.

The most relevant of questions hovered in between her lips, ones, which she had considered from the very moment, he appeared out of the storm.

'_Why is his Bankai uniform different, and why does his backside have my hairpin symbol on it?_' She thought noticing the vast irregularity of seeing a six-pointed flower inscribed in teal upon his back; each spiked petal was a falchion or double sided stretched kite. The lower ends of each respective extension were strained to maintain a slimmer but vastly longer appearance, as it coursed into an almost invisible point. Etched in pure white above the flower was the kanji for the strongest of lordly enforcers: the Archangel.

Relatively irregular, any inscription upon its rear side was irrelevant compared to the fact he wasn't wearing the standard shinigami attire. His stance had illustrated that he had not donned a kimono, nor was he wearing a hakuma or even the signature of his weapon, a tattered black haori.

Kurosaki Ichigo was covered in what most would generally consider business formal wear. Regardless of appearance, for his usage, it appeared more casual more than respectful attire. Starched pants draped over his legs encasing them from the belted waist. From the pointed cliffs of a raised collar, material flowed down his arms and down his chest, forming a sport coat that wasn't buttoned in the center; his well-built front torso was exposed. Every muscle was carefully scripted, outlined as if he had been training for many extreme years.

His hands were also adorned in something unusual, midnight gauntlets, the sort, which start from the base of the fingers and spread just past the wrist, even though the sport coat respectively covered them. The pants draped all the way to the very top of his sandals, which bore no reflective changes. Darker than the darkest night, his suit flashed softly in the pale sunlight, reflecting the fact it was not made of cloth, cotton didn't shine in the aura of a star.

It was armor-weave. Threaded strands of stainless steel, which incorporated the defensive properties of chainmalle, yet it was lighter than cotton.

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Inoue always protected Ichigo; it was from her that he received the suit, a trend that appeared within the opening year of the conflict.

The usually unmovable shinigami had learned from the mistake of Ichigo's war against them, when a handful of ryoka had nearly dismantled an entire division, which they did in regards to the eleventh. It didn't make sense for the shinigami to have such vast numbers who could be so easily expendable. Regardless of strength levels, a means of offering them a strong defense had to be implemented.

It had been the crowning achievement of Unohana-Taicho, who believed the shinigami held no respect for the lives of those who were needlessly sacrificed on a daily basis without proper care. Teaming with the twelfth division captain, Retsu developed a kimono and Hakuma made out of woven metal, ultra light and ultra strong.

One day, Ichigo was reporting to the upper echelons of heaven, as he did from time to time, when he noticed a pair of death gods swinging their swords at each other, only to have them yield no damage. Mortified, he was about to walk over and see if they were using rubber swords when something ceased his movement.

A soft breeze of a voice crept up from behind; Unohana was swift and silent able to sneak up on the best of them.

"Kurosaki-Taicho?"

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Kurosaki Ichigo had been awarded provisional field command of all living warriors, or substitute shinigami, as they were commonly known. This also extended to any of the Vizards, shinigami exiles and those currently stationed therein. His reign of human world was tentative to the completion of the war with Aizen.

Kurosaki was a shinigami captain, but was still just a living high school student. Just a being a shinigami initiate while still alive made him legendary among the initiate ranks, the academy and even most of the major divisions. Ichigo having taking down Byakuya helped along that reputation considerably.

Inscribed as captain of the fourteenth division…relative to all forces not directly attached to Sereitei…Ichigo ascended beyond the rankings of legendary, for legend was hearsay, it could be doubted and disputed.

Much to his own dismay, many of Sereitei saw him as a descendant of the king. Initially he thought their assumptive nickname for him was a little too over the top, he didn't care for flashy titles; he had just grudgingly accepted the mantle of captain.

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"Or should I say Archangel-Taicho?" Retsu chuckled intently.

He turned when he was called, grimacing slightly and Retsu placed a large white box in front of him. Like a kid on his birthday, Ichigo tore through the box to find the dark suit, and marveled at its tenderness but relative indestructibility.

It could stop a blade; reduce the damage of cero or kidou greatly.

The bottom of the box contained a soft paper card with words scribbled on it.

'_You know I love you, now I can shield you always…_'-Inoue.

From then on, Ichigo was the archangel, since she had so conveniently placed the label on his rear flank.

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Even in spite of what he had just shown of himself, Kurosaki Ichigo was overjoyed, the welded smile upon his focal appearance glistened in the afternoon light.

"Which one of you wants to die first?" Ichigo taunted them jokingly.

"Bankai you say? Hey Ulquiorra, is this the guy?"

"Who would've thought your useless flailing around would've flushed him out so easily?"

"My my, here it sounds like I'm being underestimated, I'll make you regret such a failure to grasp a situation."

"Oh, a smart talker, I love killing them, it's my lucky day!" Yammy exclaimed as number ten once again drove down his mallet of a fist only to meet a great deal of pain. Ichigo danced around Yammy, shifting to the left, only to swerve to the opposite direction and tap him slightly on the chin.

A reiatsu charged fist connected with jaw, cratering the skin and nearly destroying that sector of his mouth. Concordantly, this action sent Yammy on a little flight, knocking Yammy back into some trees. He lay spread-eagled, like a passed out drunk.

With the trash disposed of, Ichigo walked calmly up to number four, his blade resting against his shoulder.

Ulquiorra stood with his hands in his pocket, reflecting the view of a common sullen teenager. Ichigo walked right up to him, towering a full head over the young arrancar.

Their eyes exchanged glances and liberal doses of killing intent.

"I wonder how you can stand there so calmly, Ulquiorra Schiffer?"

Viridian eyes rolled back, as he had not even declared his name and yet this boy knew of him inexplicably.

"How do you know of me, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Glancing over at the temporarily phased Yammy, Ichigo stared off into space scratching his nose, totally disrespecting the arrancar.

"I'm surprised at Aizen-chan, I thought he'd send someone tough after me, but that espada wasn't fit to shine my shoes, let alone pick up trash. I wonder if number four would be enough to make me break a sweat, or should I just give Grimmjow a call?"

Ulquiorra stepped back slightly, eyes rippling outward in astonishment.

Without even the measure or the desire of wanting a reply, Ichigo swiped the tip of his blade along the pale neck of Ulquiorra, inches above his signature hole, slitting his throat. The transaction occurred so swiftly that Ulquiorra didn't even notice it at first, he saw some sort of distortion, but the boy had never moved, he kept looking out into nowhere.

Within the passing of a second, Schiffer clenched his throat, wondering how he had just been damaged. A solitary eye was staring back at him from Ichigo. He had illustrated the distances between them in a single imperceptive strike.

Aizen had poorly estimated the tactical strength of Kurosaki, an irregularity he wished to be able to relay, as he lowered an arm silently reaching out behind him to activate the gargantuan portal. With his eyes on Ichigo, he watched reality switch for a moment as the boy vanished, only to completely separate the Arrancar's starboard extension, right at the wrist.

Instinctively, Ulquiorra knew he was beyond screwed; if he could just release the zanpakuto and assume his full form, his wounds would've been repaired. Reaching for the blade with his left hand, Schiffer's face illuminated with fear and dread as he realized his inability to say the call phrase.

Ichigo stood over him taunting, "You're going to have to speak a whole lot louder than that if you want to release your sword, hah haha".

Ulquiorra Schiffer unsheathed his weapon and dropped it much in the form of Byakuya, but it wasn't Bankai he was employing, it was only the motion of bringing it out, it seemed he had other plans in mind. He didn't have much time left as crimson was draining from him, making his skin turn blue.

'_Survive, I must survive to warn him!_' Ulquiorra roared from the depths of his heart. His left hand spread outward from the region of the hilt, pointing upright with a solitary lit digit.

The orange haired shinigami was surprised at Schiffer's ability to form a cero in that condition, even though it was an ultimate gasp of futility.

The sphere of blood red energy surged into the stretched tear form of a pure burning flame. It was a technique form Ichi had never seen before, was it a means of charging, or something more shrewd?

Smiling with his usual irritating '_I'm so much better than you_' style of arrogance, he turned the flame on himself. Ulquiorra ran the flame down the line of his initial wound. The tattered skin melted in the presence of such an intense flame, bubbled and cured, fusing together the roughly broken gap. He was cauterizing his wound, using cero like a welding torch!

Ichigo was stunned speechless, he could only marvel at the gall of number four. Knowing such a feat must've been among the most excruciating forms of self-torture, Ulquiorra's smile never wavered or faltered, it was almost like he was enjoying it. His will to serve Aizen even on such a precipice of certain demise was utterly unbreakable.

Moving onto his other wound, Ulquiorra's handiwork left behind a red/auburn smile, a scar of his underestimation. Horizontally shifting in and out, he painted the stub of his arm in crimson flame, silently. He worked with the careful precision of an artist, for he was Aizen's fourth masterpiece.

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Ichigo felt like he had just attended a seminar for the updated usages of hollow flash. To use it so practically was something he had never even thought possible, it was a cannon nothing more, nothing less until that moment.

"It really is true, you learn something new every day, I think I'll try it too…" Ichigo roared vehemently catching Ulquiorra off guard even further by the sinister tone and radical implication.

Darkness once again shrouded Karakura from the light of the star, a feat that caught a pair of exiles frozen in fear. They had leapt from an unassuming candy store and were concealed within the blurs of their own flashing abilities. A man and a woman could only stare in supreme terror as the earth, the stars the sky began to quake even more violently than before. A pulsing constant eruption or reiatsu severed the silence like a bat through a window. Just like the espada, the expulsion of earth called upon the signature trademark of having ascended beyond the limit of what a sound wave could travel.

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All the bells and whistles of soul society had been ringing constantly since the arrival of complete arrancar. Orders and messengers were scrambling about, all manners of respectful bowings and name suffixes were still being applied, even in the dire condition.

But when Kurosaki Ichigo showed a higher power level than he was known to have, it stopped all the nonsense.

Shinigami watched and heard through spoken report in marvelous awe, as Ichigo stood before the advanced hollows even stronger than they were.

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Ulquiorra should've been using this eruption, as a distracting agent to escape, unfortunately there was the matter of such a titanic spiritual pressure, which was holding him so politely, knelt. He felt embarrassed, like he was fettered in a stockade, and villagers were pelting him with rotten produce.

To think that this Kurosaki Ichigo had been capable of humbling him so. He had already ascended beyond the latent abilities he was thought to have. If he was so extraordinarily strong, why was he chosen when his released form matched the pressure, which was holding him in place?

He should not have been that strong, his latent abilities should've been the sort that sought dominance of him. It was said to be capable of invading his life and world, from what Aizen-sama had referred to as '_interesting_'.

He had hoped to use Cero once again practically, channeling it through the blade to furtively activate his final form. Unlike the shinigami zanpakuto, an Espada's zanpakuto was not sentient, only a stored away portion of one's true self and true form, as to not be so cumbersome all the time. Ulquiorra had removed the sword on the off chance his other arm was removed from him. At the moment he could no sooner speak, nor reach out, he was even struggling to breathe as the covered wounds were allowing him to regain some of his color. His face and arms shifted from blue to their usual albino shade.

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What appeared out of the darkness, the hurricane of lingering debris was something out of a horror movie. A masked villain had just appeared wielding an onyx long-sword and a twinkling replicate of his blade, comprised of cero…

_The Vizard had channeled all of his hollow power into the creation of a second weapon. Using the sky-piercing fang, he cast a shell around his zanpakuto, forming an exact silhouette a mere millimeter above the original. Filling it with the crimson of a hollow burst, he pulled forth from the forge of the primary: a secondary._

With his hands forward, Kurosaki Ichigo stood above Ulquiorra with both blades poised in the style of a scissor, swords crossed just above the hilt, lying directly on the newly cauterized wound.

Fearsome sunlit eyes set upon Ulquiorra who knew at that moment he was about to die with a regret still lingering in his heart.

When he spoke, it was as though he lingered at the depth of ten thousand leagues. The distortion and disruption in his voice could only be defined as one speaking underwater. Oddly enough, such a voice was considered to be the voice of a hollow, when in fact the espada spoke normally like a human.

"As a measure of mercy, Ulquiorra Schiffer, you are about to die, the first of many to die at my hands this time around. Know that I have returned from a time scorned by your master not to commit murder, but to prevent it. Bloodshed to prevent future murder is contradictory, but it is not unjust. I've killed you before, this time will not be the result of you heckling me over the lifeless body of the one I love."

The last words Ulquiorra Schiffer would ever hear was that his master would be joining him shortly in hell.

With a fierce and unrelenting battle cry similar to a charging horde of Indian warriors, Ichigo screamed vehemently as he relieved the emerald-eyed boy of his head. The blade hilts slowly and deliberately separated until both existed apart from the other.

Snip.

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'_Who am I watching_' Inoue questioned herself, pinching her arm thinking this was a dream, '_Ichigo didn't just kill that guy, he'd never, he'd try to reform him, to make him turn, he'd never go that far!_' When a torn head fell apart from a downed corpse, Inoue dropped to her knees.

It was him! Ichigo had really just murdered that guy, when that one really hadn't harmed anyone; it was the big lug that was taking a nap in the woods, which had caused so much trouble.

The relevance of him murdering someone had not been overshadowed by the all-encompassing darkness, which radiated from him. In such a state to her he appeared like a hellhound, and what was a little murder here and there, nothing out of the ordinary.

Seconds later, the body of the fallen molecularly vaporized itself.

Inoue wanted to run, wanted to reject the dark side of the moon and bring back the Ichigo she loved. When he turned, she saw those eyes.

Coal for retinas, citrine pupils, and a hollow/hockey mask for a face.

She wanted to vehemently scream in terror, but the pressure still lingered around him, she was restrained from even the slightest movements. He had lifted the curtain to allow them to breathe, but not much else.

Ichigo ambled over to Yammy, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck like a cat, and slapped him awake.

"Rise and shine, this is your wake up call, dumbass!"

"You…" Yammy exclaimed as he couldn't see Ulquiorra, but noticed a smear of red upon the other edge of the clearing.

Ichigo didn't sugarcoat his words; they were precise and not subject to contestation.

"Tell Aizen-chan that the verdict is out and he has been found most wanted. I'll give him one day to get his affairs in order, one day to run and hide with his tail between his legs. Tell him I want him to run, I want him to watch his back in fear, I have dispatched his forth with not so much as a breath…"

Without reply or even the desire to hear one, Ichigo opened up the mouth of darkness and threw the bear sized Espada into it, like a trash bag into a dumpster.

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Dusting himself off, Ichigo strolled forward aimlessly amused with himself, he had just dispatched number four and hopefully his display will have molded number ten enough for him to be used in the only manner to which Yammy was worth.

Having revealed himself as the archangel, Ichigo would have to fight off a storm of looks, doubts and fears. He hated the possibility of losing any of his companions out of avoidance. The Inoue he knew didn't care about the darkness that he wore as a mask, for she knew what was underneath, what would never be changed by the shadow of a hollow persona.

This Inoue wasn't privy to the natures of his true self, all she saw was the fearsome form of a monster.

His status of archangel was most likely to be reduced to demon, most of all by soul society.

Even if he lost Rukia, Ichigo would force himself to be content.

If that was the requisite of doing what must be done, then so be it.

Either way, Aizen would be dead in a short time; all was well.

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_**Thank you to: Juniper-Prime, Krymsom, Shandul-kun, Icefoxer, CB, Kyubbi-Sama, Jumarien and Catho for reviewing the prototype of Archangel. **_

_**A/N: **I revised this story both for myself and for the reviewers, I noticed how incomplete the first chapter felt, and took it upon myself to improve it. I didn't want to set precedence as I did in Moonfang with my initial chapters being weak and improperly built. Archangel for me is a less tactically driven story, where Aizen has been clearly established as the jerk, and Ichigo is free to act without having to micro-manage the universe. His actions without the support of his friends will undoubtedly cause him grief and possibly even leave him an outcast. _

_At the moment, Moonfang is on hiatus. My super ideas regarding it may appear in this one, or not, it all depends on how far I take this. I've enjoyed writing this considerably, and I hope you enjoyed it just as much. _

_Thanks for playing along- CH _

_-Description of hollow voice being similar to spoken underwater I have to give credit to **James D. Fawkes**: the master of the Naruto time reversal story. _


	2. Divine Defiance

_**Disclaimer: **To obtain a legal Florida lobster, it must have a head cavity or carapace of three inches or larger. The limits and permits required for the harvesting of bleach are beyond my knowledge, cause I don't own it. In more remote parts of the world, bleach is used for harvesting. Divers use bleach to kill a coral-head, just to catch a damn fish. Never mind the fact they're killing the habitat for their source of income, and destroying a natural form of beauty, but who gives a damn when money is involved. I'd like to form a posse to wipe out that kind of insanity…just one of my many, many rants… _

_**---------------------------------------(Flashback)------------------------------------------**_

_Having revealed himself as the archangel, Ichigo felt as though he would have to fight off a storm of looks, doubts and fears. He hated the possibility of losing any of his companions out of avoidance. The Inoue he knew didn't care about the darkness that he wore as a mask, for she knew what was underneath, what would never be changed by the shadow of a hollow persona. This Inoue however, wasn't privy to the natures of his true self, all she saw was the fearsome form of a monster._

_His status of archangel was most likely to be reduced to demon, most of all by soul society. _

_Even if he lost Inoue, Ichigo would force himself to be content. _

_If that was the requisite of doing what must be done, then so be it. _

_Either way, Aizen would be dead in a short time; all was well. _

_**The Archangel **_

_**II **Divine Defiance _

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The iron curtain of reiatsu emitted by Kurosaki withdrew back into him with the departure of the last espada. His face remained concealed for the time being, he knew he couldn't just drop the mask and go back to being friendly with Inoue.

In her eyes, he had become something loathsome. It was unavoidable; there was no doubting or shying away from the truth, least of all with her. Even when he and Rukia tried to fabricate the situation involving her brother, Inoue saw through the deception ultimately.

Of the handful he cherished, Kurosaki knew Inoue was the most innocent, she would never kill another. Inoue would die to save another, but she would never take the path of the maximum extent, as he had just done. It was abhorrent, as it would be to anyone as pure as she.

When she of the purest light, stood before the dark side of the moon. To see him, the one she loved cast in such a despairing form, it destroyed her to an even greater extent than losing Tsubaki.

It wasn't the sense of fear that held Inoue in place, both times respectively, it was regret.

It was her old subconscious rant about not being strong enough. Her being of strong enough will or stock should've been enough to protect him, Tatsuki and Sado, once again it wasn't.

For Ichigo, there was a way to make Inoue strong, this time around. With Zangetsu he could unlock her current maximum potential. Changing her in this manner wouldn't bring about the sort of change he could do with the simplest of actions.

In his pocket, an object was fighting against the metal thread lining of his jacket: one of the original Rikka hairpin set. A battle charged Tsubaki existed to replace his destroyed former self, as he was also joined by the strongest of the spirits at her disposal, her healing shield.

It was fighting against his will to fuse with its younger self, just as he had.

As much as it was fighting to return, he was resisted its will. Forcing the integration with his younger self was something that couldn't be helped. His objection, had there been time to warrant one, wouldn't have changed anything. There was no choice but to assimilate his younger self into himself, it was the only way to crush Ulquiorra. Ichigo however, didn't want to subject Inoue to such a thing without her own consent, even though it was just merging with a piece of her reflective older self.

It would change everything; he would have an ally from his time here with him. Even though it was just her hairpin, Ichigo wasn't sure of the effect such integration might have on the younger Inoue. Definitely he knew it would be far more than what she currently was capable of controlling. If by some chance it contained memories, then there was the possibility of it making her unstable. In any case, it was a chance he couldn't take.

Ichigo didn't think he was beyond redemption in her eyes; he just had to be careful around her. If he were to alter her however, then there would be little recourse left for him, she'd either be the Inoue of his time, or something else all together.

Having stuck his coal katana into the earth some time back, he leaned on it like an old man with his cane, silently processing what was going on. Sado lie on the verge of certain death, or at least of needing some amputation. Inoue's abilities were currently mending the incalculable damage to his right extension; it would take a great deal of time to repair completely. Inoue was barely damaged, aside from having he winged warrior destroyed. Tatsuki lay a distance back, having all of her power drained.

What remained essential was that Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't just walk right into the lion's den and confront the entire pack. He needed Allies, but the choice remained from which side did he ask? The Vizards, the exiles, the shinigami or his friends.

Sadly, of the Vizards and the exiles he would find the most capable of engaging and defeating espada. The shinigami couldn't be trusted due to Aizen's continuing witchcraft. His friends could only be employed in diversionary tactics, even if he empowered them as he was considering, the best they could be was fodder, compared to the espada. The likelihood of them being sacrificed in this was unacceptable to him. He didn't circumnavigate time only to destroy the one's he intended to shield above all others.

His appearance at the moment left many questions lingering in the air around him, like the nearly invisible words that clung to him during the time he broke that kidou spell.

He was expecting an unfavorable response from Soul society, that was a given. At the very moment, orders were being dispatched to restrain Kurosaki for questioning.

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A meek and timid voice severed his train of thought; bringing it back to the one he regretted having shown himself to.

"Is that really you? Kurosaki-Kun?" she said intermittently as Inoue succumbed to the wound of losing Tsubaki, which had taken a much more serious toll on her than Ichigo had thought. That and the fact she had just seen someone killed, the whole sum of things had taken so much. Momentarily, she lost consciousness, sliding back through the air that covered the distance between her and the ground.

The legendary Zangetsu stood alone, its master had vanished.

Inoue never felt the crash of her colliding with the soft grass, she was resting against something just as unexpectedly soft, and it bore heavenly warmth.

Then she heard his voice, but it was remarkably close to her, she hadn't yet realized it was he that was holding her. His voice was normal, precise and clean. She was held from behind, he had appeared to block her descent, holding her firmly in his arms.

"Moon crescent, heavenly cradle…"

A fang of white struck outward from zangetsu, splitting into three severances, each materializing into a star-facing crescent, concealing each of Ichigo's friends within a white cradle. Hissing reiatsu temporarily blotted out all other sound as restorative energies flooded Inoue, Tatsuki and Sado.

A flower restored one of its petals; a broken arm was restored, and even altered. Its twin fins merging to form a much larger pointed shape, as its respective left also came into its own.

Submerged in alabaster, the last of his friends had been restored completely, but left in a mode of stasis; she didn't need to see things as they were at the moment. It could be explained in time, but such a sudden revelation could be rather damaging, as zangetsu had realized.

The old man was clever like that, and when he furthermore noticed the close proximity of a certain powerless archer, he flung a fang of his aura over to him.

Uryuu thought another hollow was attacking him or something, what with the unusual basket like light, which had engulfed him. Instantly, his sensory abilities had risen considerably, and when a pale blue bow of light appeared in his right hand once more, he cursed the impossibility of such a feat. Pulling back on the bowstring, he launched an arrow just to see if it was a trick, if this was some poisonous gas he had grown inebriated to.

Just as swiftly as his power had returned, Uryuu noticed the close presences of Inoue and Sado, whose own levels had taken a serious jump. A ridiculously strong Ichigo joined them. It didn't make much sense to him, such a height had previously not been shown by the citrus haired boy, it was almost as if he had tapped into an unseen well of himself. Striking reiatsu gold, Ichigo must've uncovered a higher shinigami form, even though his presence felt very similar to a hollow.

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"I'm sorry Inoue, for showing this side of me. Even if it was just a hollow, it must've been painful to endure."

"Since when…Kurosaki-kun?"

"When I lost my power, this was the only road left for me to take, I had to save her."

'_Would you have gone to such a length for me, Kurosaki-kun._' Inoue thought grimly.

"Consider it like having multiple personalities, I had to fight off the other in order to remain in control. As a result, I use the power of the one I defeated."

"Either way, if it was you, Chado, or Rukia, I would've done the same at the very least." he put just enough emphasis on her, to stress it just as much as Rukia, if not more. Ichigo had no doubt considered that she would've doubted whether or not he would've gone to such a length for her.

"I regret having forced you to be afraid of me, even dislike me…"

Inoue freed herself from his grasp, being fully restored, she turned to look up into the pale yellow eyes, but she saw not the hollow, but the one, which had been speaking within it.

"I don't dislike you, Kurosaki-kun, I could never…"

"I was worried for nothing then, thank god."

Ichigo placed his hands on her shoulder, which Inoue felt was rather strange, he was being somewhat intimate with her, in such close proximity, he was never this way with her.

"What I've started today, only I can conclude, resulting in more of what I've just done."

"Where are you going, is it to Aizen?"

"Inoue, I promise you, there will come a day very soon, where I'll never have to hurt anyone ever again…"

Turning from her, he walked silently until he slowed, pulling off the mask, letting it fall aside. Shifting his head to stare at her with his uncovered eyes.

"I'll take your hand, the moment it begins, and if you can wait, if you can forgive, I'll never let go, and that I promise."

'_Kurosaki-kun, why are you saying this to me, you speak as if you… I thought you loved Kuchiki-san?_'

"When I make a promise to you, it's as good as saying it's already happened."

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A pair of swirling distortions fell upon them a moment after his last statement, preceded by a slack jawed, sort of laid back tone.

"Isn't normal for the superhero to unmask away from the public eye, Kurosaki-san?" Urahara laughed as he appeared with his dark skinned companion. Yorichi picked up the mask, which lie at her feet, regarding it for a moment.

"What, so now you think I'm Zorro or something?" Ichigo joked for a moment, letting himself slide into a somewhat relaxed stance, he didn't sense any killer intent from either of them.

"That or El Kabong, but I don't see a guitar in your hand", Urahara laughed at the expression of Ichigo, which was rather stupid, it seemed that even in whatever form he had just acquired, the kid could still act like his usual self.

"Say Ichigo", Yorichi piped up, while still regarding the masks details.

"It's true isn't it, what happens when you throw things away, they sometimes come back to bite you in the rear, or in this case, from within?"

"Yeah", Ichigo replied, "I can see it in your faces, and you know what I am. After all, Urahara, you were there when this happened, a little fair warning would've been appreciated, like a '_if you happen to find a hollow version of yourself within yourself, just crush it okay!_'"

"I saw the mask when you came out of that hole, but I thought you had beaten it, Yorichi-san told me it kept appearing, which made me realize otherwise."

"If I had known about my reflective tenant, it would've been incredible to see the expression of Byakuya when I pulled down the mask, instead of having it just leap out of me."

"Say, Kurosaki-san", Kisuke grew serious, lifting his released blade, intently gauging the kid's answers. "I'm grasping at straws here, you should've been knocked out or down by those arrancar, how is it that you stand before us undamaged and victorious?"

"What's the point, Urahara-san?"

"What do you mean?"

"There is nothing to be gained from knowing the how or why. The knowledge of my fortitude will not fulfill any requisite on your part, nor will it cross any T's or dot any I's. I have this power; rather I have obtained this power for a reason you can most likely discern. It's the reason why the shinigami, and the Vizards are assembling allies."

"I will not wait for winter to come before I deal with the threat. To fight him at his full height would be suicide, even with an alliance of all the Vizards, shinigami, bounto and Quincy. Right now it's certain death, even though I've taken out one of his best, he's got nineteen others, more than enough to kill the remaining 10 captains."

"He's got nineteen captain class arrancar?" Urahara queried, eyes widened.

"Most of them modified Adjucha class, while a handful are the next stage higher; the one I just took out was of the higher class. Your estimation about the quality of his Arrancar is incomplete Urahara. The one that my father destroyed was nothing but trash. I believe he escaped on his own, wanting to deal with me no doubt. That Grand fisher was not a product of your orb. Those I faced today were."

"Before I ever fought against Aizen's will to kill Rukia, even before I became a shinigami, there were arrancar more advanced than Fisher. Aizen's also capable of using the full power of the Hougyoku by temporarily infusing himself with it. Those two today, they were Espada, the ultimate arrancar."

"Impossible, this must be kind of joke?"

"No, its the truth, its only temporary though."

"What about all the other hollows and arrancar?" Kisuke asked, even in the face of such a daunting subject, he was level minded, clear and precise. Ichigo should've known this much, but somehow he knew tactical data regarding Aizen and his armies that even soul society nor himself had any idea of.

"He has legions Kisuke, of unmodified arrancar, Adjuchas and other ranking minions. I have no idea how long he's been amassing forces, but your greatest regret has certainly helped him achieve near god status."

"Even though you won't answer, I have to ask, how do you know all this Kurosaki-san, I've known about arrancar and the Vizards, but how do you have such detailed information, its almost as if…" Urahara ceased his statement as Ichigo had raised one of his fingers, pointing into the clouds above.

He did this without separating his eyes from that of the geta sandal man.

Kisuke observed the notion of pointing into the clouds, or rather the reference to what was beyond the clouds.

Urahara understood why Ichigo was so serious about not releasing so much information, in the wrong ears it would be considered comical. Most likely, soul society would either laugh at it, or kill him for the blasphemy. Not that they could actually kill him, Kisuke reasoned.

"So, where do we go from here, Archangel-san?"

Ichigo nodded appreciatively, he knew Urahara would be of a tactically strong mind, not so swift to dissuade the notion of whom he was working for.

"I'm waiting for a response from Aizen, I'll know it, if what I remember to be correct remains correct. Then I'll go lower the boom to him, my employer wants Aizen to know why he's being hunted. I can handle him and his enforcers temporarily, but ultimately I will need help. I'll return once the message is sent. Can you assemble a force Kisuke, I can't ask this of my friends, I've tempered them just enough to hold this place. Against the espada there would be no possible chance of them surviving; therefore, will you help me Kisuke?"

"I am in your debt after all, what with my past mistakes and grievances."

"Yorichi's aid to me during the rescue mission has more than paid your balance with me, if you're going to do this, fight for the right reason, fight for this world."

"If things continue to linger anymore Kisuke, there will not be enough of us to save this place. Get as many as you can, from any and all sources."

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Inoue listened as best as possible, making out a few words here and there, but ultimately she decided not to eavesdrop on Ichigo, the level of density to the situation was beyond her ability to perceive.

With a phrase, Kurosaki-kun had fixed her hairpin; all six points had been restored.

'_This is like my healing powers, no, more advanced, just what is going on here, Kurosaki-kun has so many new abilities, the mask, the feat of healing. I don't understand.' _

Glancing down at Sado-kun, his arms had taken a completely different shape, and his power level had shot up to a point of him being most likely able to take the one that had nearly killed him. Both of his upper extensions had been transformed, each baring a spike of sorts. The big Mexican had a unique aura to him, very similar to the masked Ichigo.

'_Tatsuki-chan, why do I feel reiatsu coming from you…are you like me?_' Rising from the side of the Latin man, she ambled over to Tatsuki, nearly tripping over something, which had been concealed by the stalks of grass.

'_A zanpakuto? How, how does Tatsuki-chan have a sword…_' her eyes drifted back to Ichigo, as she noticed the similarities in all of their powers, it all came from him, his presence had effectively changed them all.

'_This must be a dream…_' Inoue thought as she reached up and pinched her cheek. "Owie, I guess its real." Reaching down, Inoue hugged Tatsuki, who was still out of it, but she didn't care. She was ecstatically happy that her best friend had joined their little group.

Orihime's ears twitched and her head rose up suddenly when she heard the phrase "Archangel-san?"

'_Archangel?_' her knowledge of such things was very limited, but she was able to reason that Ichigo must be an angel!

'_Our survival up to this point has been a string of miracles…it all makes sense to me now, the new abilities, dark or whatever, he's still the same inside, the mask is just like another sword…_'

Inoue's heart was aflame in the realization that even in spite of such a showing, Kurosaki-kun wasn't the dark specter she had originally thought he was. He also had more of a tender side with her than he had ever shown.

It was time she replied to what he had spoken of earlier, she would watch his response to see whether or not it was what she was considering. If he truly did care for her…care for her as she did reflectively for him…Inoue couldn't even fathom the possibility beyond that train of thought. Ichigo had always been out of reach in her regard, and to be suddenly thrust within his proximity, was more than a dream come true.

Inoue didn't want it to be just a dream; she wanted to be with him, the way she had always imagined he would be with Kuchiki-san.

A sickening thought came into her mind, what if he was just being familiar in the friendly sense, what if he really didn't care, in that way? Inoue didn't even want to consider it; on the off chance it would be the measure of dissuading the current reality. Her own mental ability wasn't able to follow things to such a degree, the thoughts existed within her mind, but they remained just as intangible to her as he was thought to be.

Whatever he had done, it enhanced her mind as well, she wasn't used to such a verbose sense of thinking. Inoue had always been smart, her class record proved it, but her stupidity lingered so much at the surface that you would've never guessed otherwise. She consciously was surprised she didn't have an idiotic thought in regards of all she had just seen.

All of it, the twists of reality were worthless ponderings. In any form or shape, or even spread over an infinite span of separate lives, she would've loved him still. The reality of her love existed regardless of returned emotions.

'_Kurosaki-kun, I'll wait for you…because…I love you…_' Inoue thought, clenching her chest at the exclamation of mentally saying those words.

Raising her voice, she grabbed his attention, which had swayed into a peaceful silence, waiting for something.

"Kurosaki-kun, I'll wait for you, because I…" She trailed off, she couldn't finish it. She couldn't say another word; the tension of saying just those words had forced so much out of her.

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"Thank you Inoue, I told you, I never break a promise."

"Oh, when those two wake up, tell them what's going on, okay."

"Right, be careful Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo nodded as he turned and walked away from the group, settling down to lie against the post of his blade, taking a momentary breather.

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A singular set of steps echoed in the grand hall, nearly going unnoticed. Ulquiorra's were normally too soft to be discerned, while Yammy's movements were hard and precise, due to his enormity. Each placement rippled in a furtive sense of fear, fear at having failed the task granted by their lord. Even though the parameters had been exceeded, it was a mission they were certainly capable of, being the fourth and tenth espada.

Their lord noticed the irregularity instantly, while the others didn't care enough to notice. Those of espada creed and underling conversed almost silently. Aizen's smile of warmth remained unbroken, but behind the auburn eyes, the gears and cogs were whirling, trying to ascertain who or what could've killed Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra never failed a mission.

Within human world, there should've been none capable of producing such a feat, and yet his absence wasn't conspicuous. Could it have been Kisuke or his other allied exiles? The father of Kurosaki, and also the heir to the Shihouin clan, were both able to take out any of the espada seven or higher, and he estimated that Kisuke lie somewhere just beyond them. The spies of Aizen had confirmed the presence of Isshin a day or so prior. It also appeared as though the Vizards had come into play, trying to recruit the younger Kurosaki.

Had Aizen underestimated his enemies? Was it possible that the masked shinigami or even one of the three former captains were capable of dismantling one of his ultimate elite?

White black-toed sandals tapped the ceramic tiles, closer and closer, louder and louder. As his orbit of the king decreased, Yammy felt the unmistakable dread from which he could never lament for. Humiliation was inches from interring him completely; the shame of being humbled had already brought the sand up to his neck.

While maintaining the illusion of a smile, Aizen leered at Yammy, placing a chokehold of killer intent on the tenth arrancar, to so much of a degree that the others finally cared to notice the absence of Ulquiorra.

"Welcome back, Yammy, what say you, what has happened?"

"Ulquiorra is dead…" Yammy managed to force out of his constricted neck.

"That I can see, Yammy, I know that nothing short of death would've stopped him from returning to me.

"It was…one of those masked shinigami…but it was also the one you sent us to kill".

"What… did you say?"

"I don't know for sure, he knocked me out, when I came to, there was nothing remaining of Ulquiorra except a red stain upon the ground. Before I knew it, he told me he was coming after you, and then he threw me into gargantua."

Yammy grimaced under the embarrassment of it all, as the others started to chuckle.

------------------------------------------

A long faced hollow with black scythes of hair running down the sides of his face pondered his position for a moment, considering that if Ulquiorra had really been taken out, did he just receive a promotion?

Whipping out his spade of tongue, the wide grin was nearly impossible to miss. Much to his dismay, it still looked like a two, even though that was its reversed form. The fifth espada realizing his place had not changed sulked in the corner for a while. Unlike Grimmjow, Noitora had no one to worry about usurping his position, he had taken care of that trash the first chance he was given.

To his immediate left stood a hollow almost nearly below Aizen, whose sedated appearance gave him the nickname of being the laziest of the espada. Considered a lush, like a certain flowered haori wearing captain, this hollow was by far the strongest. While few of the lot had ever been fortunate or unfortunate to witness him in combat, he was so ill at ease that he slept almost all the time. His manners of rest were due to the fact he could fight for as long as he had to, even over the span of a week.

The news of someone besting Ulquiorra caught his attention, in that he and two others were the only ones capable of such a feat, which meant things for him were just about to become interesting. He was elated in the fact something worthwhile had awoken him, unlike the constant annoyance of his fraccion.

Yawning, the first espada forced a smile to his sleepy face, a smile that spread into a sinister laugh. His position was a badge of irony to his name, which was often referred to as the degree of pale shading attributed to fear. Consequently, such an expression was always the result of learning just who Stark was. A word that meant strength as well as complete desolation, alone and emptiness, there was no hollow higher than him.

The Espada who was one down from Noitora, sat with his legs folded, flanked on either side by those who referred to him as their king. A rather proud and well-spoken arrancar offered his views of the situation, while favoring Grimmjow of course.

"My my, to think there was a shinigami capable of engaging us, how interesting, and how fortunate for you, Grimmjow-sama, that your rival was chosen to be the test subject."

"Shut up Shawlong! I wanted to end that self righteous bastard, to think that someone beat me to it…it's taken years off my life…" The sealed feline espada started laughing at the insanity of him speaking so depressingly, when he was in fact very overjoyed.

-------------------------------------------

Aizen hushed them with a single swaying of his right hand, ushering forth a surge of himself, blanketing the room.

"There is nothing amusing about the loss of our precious brother! Within his grasp, he held the silence of the room until everyone had spoken "yes".

He then allowed for the tenth espada to continue with his report, should there be any finer details. "Yammy, is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

Number ten laid out the rest of it to his master, who remained somewhat grim in appearance, the boy he had referred to is '_intriguing_' had become more troublesome than he had thought him capable of.

Of the humans and shinigami, a capable guardian had just appeared.

A figure appeared at the furthest end of the corridor, it had been left open for him, as he strolled in silently, his casual manner having been totally lost upon the espada who didn't even sense him approach. The sum of the lot remained engrained upon their master, who was no doubt moments from announcing war.

"One day to live, to run and hide, this should prove somewhat entertaining, wouldn't you say, Ulquiorra?"

Stunned and astonished, the crowd instantly shifted to the rear, gasping for breaths of disbelief.

"Let us have a moment of silence, in regard to the loss of our precious brother, and furthermore reverence for his return." Aizen bowed his head silently, closing his eyes with a profound respect for the revived number four.

Schiffer wasn't the only espada in that corridor; hands folded to his rear, the alchemistic ninth strolled silently behind. Visibly, one couldn't see the enormous smile of pride on his twin floating heads, what with the equally massive plank of a mask upon his face and neck. It was the gift of Shiba that allowed for Ulquiorra to come back. Aaroniero gladly passed on this trait to those whom Aizen sought most deserving of a second chance. What he was not aware of however, was the tracking beacon Ichigo had left within a remnant of the soul that had been restored.

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An unusual ping of reiatsu knocked Ichigo awake, his plan had worked. When he killed Ulquiorra, Ichigo had transferred a tiny bit of himself into the soul of the hollow, on the off chance he would be revived. Like a seed, it lingered, and when a new life filtered into it, the seed released a sonar-like burst.

As the phantom walked alive, Ichigo was there, he could feel it.

Moreover, the chance had just arrived; he could run the hollow through once more, and then give Aizen his death sentence.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo struck down upon the sky, forming a pocket of air with his reiatsu, priming the gateway into the land of the fallen. From two distant points a line of darkness formed perfectly, racing towards the extended key of a finger.

'_This boy truly is something else_' Urahara considered, in that Isshin's son could conjure the fanged gateway without the kidou spell. Just a flick of his finger and he could summon what very few shinigami were even aware of.

Countless lines began to branch upward and downward, forming a literal mouth out of empty sky. From the fangs comprised of sky, a gaseous dimension unfolded, limitless in despair and darkness.

Ichigo had already made his peace with those around him, without looking back; he leapt into the void of terror, delving into the heart of the white fortress. Upon a surfboard of his own creation, Kurosaki surfed the waves of dimensional reiatsu like a master. This time he was alone in his journey; his Latin friend, or the revived Quincy didn't flank him. His quest wasn't a rescue mission…while his task at hand was to save the universe…at the moment it was nothing more than a declarative statement.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Urahara sighed in contempt, knowing he had been left to sort out the remaining pieces. Moreover, Soul society was bound to appear at any given moment, and he was also charged with defusing that situation. He barely had time to register another thought when separate gateways appeared immediately in front of him.

Black butterflies appeared within the presence of three heavenly doors. As each one slid open, a captain was revealed. They stood before an unexpected collection of souls, none of whom remained their intended target.

They had hoped the one they had come would've been presented on a silver platter, but they were not always so lucky. Two of the substitute shinigami, one apparently knocked out and the other, the weakest of the lot stood guard over him. Where was their leader, the triad thought silently, having stepped out of the sliding door style portals, as they dissolved into nothingness.

Even more so surprising was the presence of a pair of exiles, Shihouin Yorichi, and her counterpart. The bowl hat wasn't enough to hide the identity of Urahara, what with the released sword in his hand, the stubble of a beard and the frame of his face. Even the dirty blond hair, it was as though his head wasn't even covered.

A noble, a flamboyant and his sickly counterpart stood before the tattered group of souls.

Urahara wasn't expecting such a resolve to come from soul society; such a timely response on their part was unheard of. He had furthermore not been prepared for the sight of a third of the captain class presented right before him. His contact with either of the three had been limited or non-existent over the last hundred years.

Urahara felt as though three crimson sniper dots had just painted his forehead, as he realized the gravity of his connection to present and past situations. He had been the driving force behind the last Ryoka invasion, no to mention his whole creation of the orb and hiding it within Rukia, which Aizen currently had possession of.

It was natural that he would be sweating just a little bit.

Yorichi noticed the despairing vibes her geta wearing friend was radiating, and it was justifiable, aside from the fact she was standing next to him, and if anyone wanted a piece of Kisuke, they'd have to deal with all of Yorichi.

In the moments preceding introductions and measures of formality, an object of curious appearance darted directly towards them. Five heads turned, each entering their own respective defensive stances, hands placed upon their blades. Through the clearing of the initial distortion surrounding the object, it became evident that it was a person. A person had been thrown into the public view by a yet to be disclosed second figure. Sliding up to the group, a cautiously stunned man rose up and dusted himself off. He bore an unusually wide toothy grin at having been revealed, his blond hair shifting from side to side as his eyes darted at each one of them, it became relevant that he could see those of the collection that a normal person should've been able to.

A shadow voiced its appearance from behind, a shinigami walked steadily towards the group.

"I can't believe you didn't notice this guy Urahara, just yesterday you said your abilities hadn't changed."

The last of the exile captain class had joined the clique.

A shinigami wearing a captain's haori like a cape seemed to have captured the attention of all those nearby, immediately diverting sight from the revealed mysterious spectator. Before Isshin could allude to whom the intruder was, Inoue rushed forward to the young man who had been tossed like a frisbee.

"Hirako-kun, why are you here?"

In the presence of captains, he hadn't really noticed her and around his '_first true love'_, he couldn't help but be a little shy.

"Orihime-chan, I am…"

Isshin finished the statement of Hirako simply "He's like Ichigo, he has a mask."

Inoue's eyes widened, with a '_so that's why you came to him_' sort of glare.

"Shinji Hirako", the young man introduced himself to the crowd, "leader of the Vizard." Placing his right hand upon the temple of his face, he gathered spirit particles, materializing his pharaoh style mask. The shinigami around him took a step back, as with a flicker of his wrist, the mask was on, and a holy tempest of reiatsu encircled him. Hirako kept it to a minimum though; it was merely a display of force, not an actual intention of force. Just like Ichigo, a backwards voice came from the mask, different than the original, as if the mask itself bore a tone altering device.

"Just for a reference" Hirako continued, "I could've taken the one Ichigo destroyed, and he was the sum of you and you." Shinji pointed at captain's six and eight, who were visibly astonished. Byakuya thought he must've been joking. "I am well aware of who you two think you are." Removing the mask, his aura that had stifled the air around them, shrank as if he were in fact a drain it had all poured into.

--------------------------------------------

A low drawl of a voice mumbled for a moment as Sado began to awaken.

"Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?"

Thrusting his eyes open at the ridiculous number of presences around him, Sado could only watch in dismay, as three captains of soul society were present with Urahara, Yorichi and a yet to be disclosed other shinigami.

Seeing the big Mexican awake, Isshin strolled over, while the other shinigami watched Isshin silently, well aware of whom he was, but among so many other awesome distractions, his living status had yet to come into play.

It took Sado only a moment to recognize the doctor that had healed him during the parakeet incident; this was Ichigo's father!

"Kurosaki-ojisan? You're a shinigami too?" Inoue caught the words of Sado and added another look of dismay to her already impressive collection for the day.

-----------------------------------------

"Isshin-san, is that really you? I, we thought you were dead" Ukitake managed to speak as the others couldn't add much more to it.

"I lost my powers a ways back, but as you can see, I'm better than ever."

Byakuya cleared his throat, having had more than enough distractions.

"While this is very entertaining, dealing with exiles and outlaws, we have come here on business which concerns neither of you. Kurosaki, where is your son?"

"Hell if I know, I'm not his babysitter."

Byakuya announced his contempt rather quickly, and his level of irritation was continuing to rise.

Urahara answered his query with the most unexpected of places, hollow world.

"This must be some kind of comedic musing, I thought I heard you just say Hueco Mundo."

"He didn't stutter Kuchiki-san", Urahara added "I saw it with my own eyes, and he used the gargantua portal".

"Ichigo did it without using the kidou incantation" Yorichi concluded.

Byakuya had enough of the games, the exiles were lying, and they had to be. The likelihood of Kurosaki being in the land of the hollows was the furthest possibility. Someone or something had appeared and engaged those arrancar. The Kurosaki he fought against only a few months prior wasn't capable of such a display.

"Stop this insanity right now, where is Kurosaki Ichigo!"

"What do you mean, Byakuya, we just told you" Isshin answered among the growing visible aversion in the captain's tone and likewise reflected through the surge of intent he was throwing around.

"There was a battle here, involving two arrancar, we know Ichigo was here, and that also an enormous presence was released here, even though it was labeled as that boy, I refuse to believe it was him. Even if that mask had appeared again, there's no way he could be that strong!"

Gazing over at Urahara, Isshin started again, stating the most relevant of thoughts, given Byakuya's tantrum.

"I don't know about you guys, but my witch hunt senses are tingling, I think you want to burn Ichigo at the stake rather than ask any questions."

Hirako joined the conversation even though he wasn't invited.

"Typical Shinigami intolerance of others, the Bounto and Quincy are gone thanks to such a close-minded point of view. My kind are not that easily taken out, and unlike those I mentioned, anyone can be one us, with the proper leverage of course."

-------------------------------------------

"Kyoraku-san is that really true, did you come here to kill Ichigo?" Sado asked blankly of the captain he had once fought to the death. His locks of dark chestnut hair partially blocked the saucer eyes that were the result of such a thought.

"Unnatural rate of progression, usage of forbidden techniques, and disdain for moral authority, Kurosaki Ichigo is a monster." Byakuya trumpeted with pride as he laid out the law of Sereitei.

Yorichi asked the two elder captains as clearly as she could put it "Shunsui, Jushiro, you can't seriously be along with this can you?"

"It's the old man's rule these days," Kyoraku sighed painfully, "and the rule- breakers such as ourselves don't have much of a voice. Ichigo is a hero, and he's added further to his own legend of being able to take down arrancar of such high caliber as you say."

Hirako voiced his opinion once again, even thought it wasn't asked for.

"Better to take him down now, when you think you still can, right, shinigami?"

------------------------------------------

Isshin wasn't about to standby at watch his son cut down, not that he actually thought they were capable of it, but the whole act of them doing so was more blasphemous than all of the sins the exile class had been accused of.

"I didn't think you were always so pretentious Byakuya, if Kaien were still around, he wouldn't stand for a minute of it." Isshin stepped forward and hit Kuchiki with a verbal bitch-slap. Kuchiki took a step back, his right thumb having released the locking mechanism of his sheath, priming his blade for release.

Isshin hated dealing in such troublesome situations, it's why he was so damn laid back. Any dealings whatsoever with the current sixth captain eventually lead to confronting his unusually high levels of arrogance. Byakuya was prideful to a fault, but Isshin was relieved to hear that his son had actually changed the captain to an extent, and yet it appeared as if he had done nothing, this was the same whiny bitch he remembered. Therefore, Isshin decided to step on and crush Byakuya's pride, to force him to remember his place. While some of his musings were conjecture, some of it was dead on accurate.

"You seem to have forgotten whom we're referring to, Byakuya-chan."

"You dare…"

"It was my son that humbled you with a single word. Now that he's shown more power than he's known to have, you're afraid."

Ukitake could see where this was going, Isshin and Byakuya were a few steps away from clashing horns, and this was hardly the moment for such a meaningless squabble. Stepping between them, he made not the smartest of moves, but with his hands outstretched on either side he tried to defuse it.

"Oh but I'm not finished Jushiro", Isshin continued, as the noble slowly and deliberately eased his blade out of the sheath, as a means of warning to Isshin, not to speak of the things that existed just on the edge of being released, and therefore unforgivable.

"Where was I, oh yes, he's not only humbled you, Kuchiki-chan, but he's stolen your great fan base within the lower cadets and officers. In the span of a month, he rose from initiate to captain, a legend to be told for generations no doubt. You're not afraid of notoriety, you fear what he is; a masked shinigami, a desecration to the very name of shinigami, yet he is proclaimed a hero. An outlaw by your own description, a man of great respect by even the law of soul society. I wouldn't have thought the old man could be swayed so easily without confirmed proof, you must've greased him as good as Aizen did."

If Byakuya were a volcano at that very moment, towns would've burned, and all hell would've rained upon the earth.

"I have no doubt that with no more than a few words, Ichigo could cause another Aizen caliber insurrection. Those two beside you would join with him, as would Kenpachi, and I wonder whom else, would accept the call to fight Aizen now, rather than wait for certain and unrelenting death?"

Byakuya stared with a _'deer in the headlights' _frozen gaze. The other captains and exiles were certainly without the ability to speak; to say the least.

"Ichigo has bridged the distance into something far beyond our own abilities to register. He has shown that today, he has the might to stand up to Aizen's best."

Urahara continued with his own observation "From what I can tell, it might not have even been his maximum limit. Both the final release and the mask were executed with ease, with no restraints or lengthy transformations. I agree with Isshin. We most likely have a champion capable of facing the lord of the white fortress. The time to ride out to face Aizen is now, not months later when he's at full strength, but at this very moment."

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A cleared throat beset the presence of another interloper, adorned in alabaster, holding a pale blue bow and arrow, directly behind the dark haired sixth captain.

"If anyone is going to kill my rival, it's going to be me."

Ishida Uryuu stood aflame with his restored powers, as Inoue's hairpins started to glow as a shield materialized before her, and with Sado's newly minted arms, they stood defensively next to the Quincy, as a further means of dissuading. Urahara raised his Benihime directing it at Byakuya, as did Isshin with his own blade.

"If you want him, Kuchiki Byakuya, you have to go through all six of us" Yorichi poignantly trampled his pride like a stampede of bulls.

Kyoraku and Ukitake regarded each other silently not even caring to notice the opinion of Byakuya who was a dead set no chance in hell. The children who dared to challenge him had captured his attention.

"What would he have us do?" Kyoraku asked of the exiles as the sixth captain shifted his head back to them in further disbelief.

"Assemble as many as you can, captain and vice captain class only. Also, anyone else who is capable of the final release even if they are not within those ranks, there's at least one or two, or so I'm told." Urahara laid it out plainly, using all the rumors he had at his disposal, regarding the strongest of the shinigami at the moment.

Hirako scratched his head before asking the most obvious question, and the actual reason he had been thrown into the group.

"You want my kind with you right? They won't go along with this that easily, given the reputation we have with Sereitei."

"Would a full pardon be too much to ask? After Aizen is dealt with, we would surely be the next in line for the chopping block."

"We'll do our best to insure a peaceful alliance is formed between us, even though I doubt the fact we'll have much political clout if we manage to survive this. If we happen to win, it might be a different story though."

"All things aside", Isshin spoke up, "I think I can speak for myself and Urahara, perhaps even you Vizard. We enjoy this place, I sure as hell don't want to lose it so number five can have his magic key."

"You've got a point there, Kurosaki, its not like we have another hole we can just crawl into, and making those training grounds aren't exactly an overnight job." Hirako added finally, drawing together a temporary truce between them, least of all until Hiyori found out what he was actually up to. He knew full well a sandal slap was in his future, but if that was the least he incurred, so much the better for him.

"Okay then, it's settled. Kurosaki-san said he would be back shortly, so we'll wait here, and on a lighter note, lets try not to kill each other in the meantime."

Byakuya conceded defeat temporarily shunning his pride in the hope of confronting Ichigo face to face. It had been painfully illustrated that against a Vizard, he was nothing. In public view, though, he'd strike, and put an end to the charade of Kurosaki once and for all. Even if he was wiped out in the process, this time, he wouldn't let another Aizen arise without a fight.

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"What say you, Ulquiorra?"

The newly restored titan walked without any assistance, given the fact his legs had just been re-grown.

"Our enemy is exceptionally skilled. He is also a Vizard. When I healed myself using Cero he took note of it, having never seen such a usage before. He killed me by way of a sword of cero and his own."

"Kurosaki mentioned being of a different time than our own, a time scorned by you as he so eloquently informed me. It makes sense, the radically strong final release, and him having complete control of the abilities we thought to be latent. Furthermore, his actions seemed to be fueled by an almost divine sense of justification, as if he alone was capable of ending us with not so much as a breath. His mastery of the shinigami arts as well as the hollow arts completely astounded me, it almost suggested as if he was not even using his full power, thus proving his arrogant and swift dispatch of myself."

'_I restate my earlier assumption, you are far more interesting than I would've ever thought possible, Kurosaki Ichigo. If things don't work out, you've proven that reality reversal is a possibility for me to exploit. But for you to accomplish this, you must've had help, help from the one I seek to dethrone. To think the king would show himself this early, I'm elated with pride._'

"I concur, Ulquiorra, how else could that boy have bested you, it's the only possibility that would allow for a failure on your part."

"Aizen-sama, my life is yours to dispose of at any moment, should my performance not prove satisfactory."

"Think nothing of the sort, you are very precious to me."

While Grimmjow was inches from stating perhaps they needed to '_get a room_' his instincts swiftly detected an unusual occurrence. Something was stirring within him, it was a sense he had never felt before, and it was almost a joyous feeling of anticipation. Perhaps the revelation of this traveler had awoken a piece of him that had been sleeping for so long, without a proper challenge.

He didn't care about the fact Ulquiorra stood before him alive once more. What held his attention was the act of him actually being destroyed. Someone good enough to dispatch the fourth espada was well worth his time, even if he stood little chance.

Grimmjow, like the others were so enamored in their respect for Aizen who showed not the tiniest inkling of fear at the revelation of someone gunning for him, that they failed to notice a twinkling light at the furthest corner.

When a column of translucent sunlight immersed the fourth espada, they thought it was a means of punishment by Aizen, who had been known to talk familiarly with someone he was inches from torturing.

"What is the meaning of this?" Aizen declared to the speechless crowd, who looked over their shoulders, knowing none of them had conjured it.

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A cleared throat, echoed in the grand hall, breaking the stunned silence. Yet it bore an irregular tone, unlike anything most of them had ever heard. A final cadence of steps could be discerned, over the quiet humming of the golden field.

The shadow slowly came into view initially as a set of five sunlit points, centered around a hand, possibly. As the rhythm continued, a white mask with red claw marks became visible; it was a masked creature or man. At such a range, it was furthermore impossible to know for sure.

The acknowledgment of the silhouette of the sentient brought with it an unyielding spiritual force, rivaled only by the first espada or even their master. Just as Ulquiorra had been frozen, the rest of them had been fettered by invisible restrictive chains, imposed by sheer reiatsu.

Solitarily, the twitching of one finger formed a crease along the edges of one of the arms of the captured espada. A fold of reiatsu coursed into a fault, and then complete severance.

Ulquiorra could only watch on in horror as his left arm was negated away from him. Having turned to visualize the source of the unimaginable pain, his eyes caught a silhouette. Spiked hair, accented by a white mask and silvery reflective attire.

His destroyer dared to track him to the very bowels of Las Noches!

Springing to life, the other fingers separated the hollow from the reality of his newly minted return.

Blatant incoherent gasps of insanity filled the room, as Ulquiorra hung crucified by five negation waves. His arms, legs head and torso had been fractured away, reducing him to nothing but a worthless pile of flesh. He was killed the moment it happened, the only thing that held him in the world of the dead was the simple fact that negation was holding him from his own vaporization.

Citrine lit fingers of the puppet master came into sight, as he came into the light of Aizen.

The first espada stood in silent awe, Stark had never seen anyone diced using negation before, and this was certainly a warrior of his caliber.

The murderer was a masked man with orange hair. He wore not the uniform of a shinigami but something more similar to that of the espada. Pants and a jacket covered his fiercely built exterior; of a reflective material, as his own musings danced across its surface. His eyes were of the shade similar to negation, pupils set against a darkness that not even the depths of Hueco Mundo could evenly match.

On his starboard shoulder, an onyx blade laid softly and peacefully, connected to his respective hand, much like the kendo stick of a punk school kid.

The other hand, outstretched, closed its fist, drawing back into itself, recoiling the negation fingers, and crushing their inner contents through compression.

The voice that had grumbled earlier through the action of a cleared vocal cavity, added to the tone of terror, which lingered in the wake of the fourth. It spoke of a man who could still speak when tortured by the pressures of the sea floor.

"_**I don't remember saying, you could come back to life, Ulquiorra…" **_

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_**A/N: **Boy was that a tricky one, its funny, my 'taking a break piece' has become just as complex as Moonfang; I guess it can't be helped in that regard. I wish to correct my statement last time; the reviewer whose name I mispronounced was Jumper-prime. _

_I also wish to thank those who acted as my Jedi-council if you will, in regards to my switching of the main pairing. **Shandul-kun, MitsukaiMizuno and Jumper-prime. **Your help to me was invaluable, and informative. Thank you. _

_I regret being unable to keep my promise about giving you guys a moonfang chapter before I go on vacation, which is this Saturday. I'll be diving for lobster and getting slightly smashed in key west, and I'd love to send a postcard, but I know none of your actual names or addresses, so just consider this an '**I wish you were here card**' Hehe. _

_My thoughts about the first espada are tentative until we actually find out who it is. Among the unnamed four, he seemed to me the most likely, and when I saw the definitions for his name, it fit perfectly. _

_If you haven't figured it out yet, I enjoy screwing with Byakuya's pride, cause no one ever seems to take any opportunity to do so. _

_**Bleach Anime and Manga thoughts: **Finally we have returned to the original story line and hopefully no more of those damn cheap fillers. I was also glad to see Luppi finally, even though I thought he was originally a girl. But more importantly, who the hell saw the revelation of Nell being an Espada coming? I sure as hell didn't.  
_

_I've also updated my profile to let you guys know a little more about me. _

_-thanks for playing along -CH _


	3. INVADERZ

_**Disclaimer: **Bleach is a chemical and foremost the most exciting manga out there. I am continually humbled by Kubo-sensei. Therefore the subject matter of this is not mine, while the story ideas are. _

_**--------------------------------------(Flashback)----------------------------------------**_

_Citrine lit fingers of the puppet master came into sight, as he came into the light of Aizen. _

_The first espada stood in silent awe, Stark had never seen anyone diced using negation before, and this was certainly a warrior of his caliber. _

_The murderer was a masked man with orange hair. He wore not the uniform of a shinigami but something more similar to that of the espada. Pants and a jacket covered his fiercely built exterior; of a reflective material, as his own musings danced across its surface. His eyes were of the shade similar to negation, pupils set against a darkness that not even the depths of Hueco Mundo could evenly match. _

_On his starboard shoulder, an onyx blade laid softly and peacefully, connected to his respective hand, much like the kendo stick of a punk school kid. _

_The other hand, outstretched, closed its fist, drawing back into itself, recoiling the negation fingers, and crushing their inner contents through compression. _

_The voice that had grumbled earlier through the action of a cleared vocal cavity, added to the tone of terror, which lingered in the wake of the fourth. It spoke of a man who could still speak when tortured by the pressures of the sea floor. _

"_**I don't remember saying, you could come back to life, Ulquiorra…" **_

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_**The Archangel**_

_**III **INVADERZ _

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Aizen Sosuke stared unwavering into the topaz eyes of the one who had vaporized Ulquiorra. One would've thought twice before killing a precious knight in front of his king, it was an act of lunacy and suicide. Yet Kurosaki had slashed the knight without any care of retribution, mostly from his appearance of being above it. Which to some extent, even in the face of such daunting powers, could've been true.

Aizen's knowledge of hollow and shinigami techniques had been more complete than any library in either world. Never in his wildest dreams could Aizen have fathomed someone being severed in such a manner. Such a revelation of technique was the furthest thought from Aizen's mind though, what hung in the absence of Ulquiorra was a neon blinking arrow, which illuminated the references the hollow had made about Kurosaki being a time traveler.

At the most, Aizen was never known to show a facial expression of anything less than a smile, even while making a snide remark about an opponent's weakness, he never frowned or roared in anger. The grin was his way of proving that attacking him is ultimately futile, no matter how far over the line you cross. At the end of the day the sun will set, and as it falls so would anyone who dared to cross Aizen Sosuke.

Therefore with a hospitable attitude, he regarded Kurosaki like a host, proudly appearing before the boy, bowing respectfully. Such a visitor for him was unlike any other that had ever found their way into the fortress, he was an archangel after all, a direct servant of the king.

"I take it this is not your first time in Las Noches, but still I must welcome you, it is rare that we receive living guests, and ones of your caliber no less even rarer. You've traveled a long way haven't you, ambassador-san?"

Ichigo laughed slightly, acknowledging the traitor that he was correct in assumption.

"Though I am a little confused", Aizen started, scratching his chin most comically, "does this mean my time is up, or was it all a jest?"

"I thought you said I had a day to run, a day to hide and you expect me to comply with this demand, based solely on your dispatch of Ulquiorra? Do you think I am so easily broken? Do you think I would bow to the wishes of someone like you, shall I break you in half again?"

Removing zangetsu from his shoulder, Ichigo tapped it within the tiled floor, bracing himself on it. Hardly an action of intention to strike, Aizen still assumed a ready stance, anticipating some kind of deception.

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Kurosaki had been doing this quite a long time, much longer than he thought it would be. In a day or two it would be over. At least it was the tentative plan, even though Ichigo was well aware of the likelihood of it all heading south, heading into uncharted waters. The problem with uncharted waters in Ichigo's regard was the fact that it negated the knowledge he possessed of what would come to pass, and the likelihood he could rise up at a moment of opportunity and end Aizen.

Even with the smallest action, he found that a rippling result destroyed everything he tried to conceal and tried to use against his enemy. Once before he had finally stepped into the open only to find an enemy already aware and already prepared to deal with him, even though it was only a means of escape.

And yet, Ichigo had stumbled into the realization that he had done it once more, only he had tipped off his enemy. In this matter, in this alone he really had no choice, it was the king's desire for an air of theatricality, giving him a day of reprieve before the curtain and guillotine fell. Furthermore, without assistance and or witnesses of the death god race, who would believe such a tale? He could've always just deposited a severed head on their doorstep, but such a display diminished the divine example of it all, as a severe lack of creativity.

Theatricality had its purposes, but to Kurosaki, he would've rather wiped out Aizen from the get go, just like he did when he saw Ulquiorra again.

Ichigo hoped this would be the last with all his heart and soul; he wanted to take her hand, to never have to let go again, to never lose her again.

Aizen bore his '_if my lips are moving, I must be lying_' kind of grin, which in that moment surfaced a lingering regret from the depths of Ichi's consciousness, nearly breaking him from the moment. The facial expression of the former captain was exactly the same, as the instance which had triggered the memory, as he basked in his own opulence and a not entirely unjustified sense of being better than the world, in his own mind, Aizen was the absolute as it were.

In the twilight of a previous attempt, Aizen had pulverized Ichigo's heart into ashes. Such an action was a metaphorical injury and not the result of the eighth espada using his unique form of voodoo. In their departure from the fortress, Inoue had found and destroyed the greatest regret of Kisuke. Aizen was less than pleased by this development, as was to be expected.

With Urahara's portal in place, Ishida and Sado had already leapt through, Abarai had carried Rukia and they had disappeared into the darkness. All that remained upon that burning bridge was Orihime being dragged by Ichigo. Only one of them survived that moment, as narrowed eyes and a sinister smile coated the two of them in an eternal night. As the curtain fell, Inoue Orihime pushed Ichigo into the depths of the portal, she sacrificed herself so that he could live.

There was nothing he could've done, the veil of his escape portal came crashing down around him as countless blades pieced and destroyed her.

Unlike his attempt at using watcher's seat thirty with the fox captain, Aizen didn't hold back, nor did he have the conscious to do so. To her he was both murderer and burier.

Her final words were something he didn't expect as she had only a short time prior confessed to him.

"Even though I…you belong with her Kurosaki-kun…I don't expect you to love…" Orihime might've said more, but the veils of darkness closing around them both prevented any further words from escaping.

At the time, to Ichigo he was unsure of his feelings, he barely had control of the hollow, and the nature of his heart was for the most part unimportant.

She meant to say that even though she loved him, he belonged with Rukia. The Inoue of that day knew she had no chance or place with him. She lived in the assumption she made that day on the execution hill, that Rukia was irreplaceable and precious to Ichigo.

Only she was wrong; Ichigo loved and protected Rukia like a sister, after all, she became one when she saved him and his family. It wasn't for the lack of trying on either side; they were too similar, and ultimately incompatible.

The loss of Inoue Orihime to Ichigo was like having someone read your diary, blowtorch it and make you eat the ashes. While he was never one to script his truest feelings, they had just become irrelevant. Inoue was dead and gone; his love would never be known or accepted. Even if it was only known, the reciprocation of the knowledge would've been enough for him, had he only been of sound heart and mind at the time. Reminiscing about the depths of his heart in such a place was not the smartest of actions. It did however, make him remember why he struggled, why he continued to go on: the chance of being with her uninterrupted.

As easily as one could feign a smile, Ichigo returned himself to the fate of the enforcer, a personality he wore these days like another mask. To inter his feelings in this manner was to discard pieces of his soul on an almost daily basis. The mask of despair was not one he had to materialize, but one of a few which could come and go as he pleased, not that he ever enjoyed raising his sword, as others had once theorized. He had fought so much in his career and Ichigo was ready for easy street, primed to be just another boy.

He had broken the plan in the hopes of this being the final time.

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Nonchalantly, Ichigo made the unmistakable grunt of a laugh, which Aizen could only interpret as mild amusement sided with a trace of boastful pride. Sosuke on the other hand, was not amused, even though his face had been adorned in his typical warm smile, he could tell this Ichigo was not the one he had broken in half some time back. This Ichigo could stand up to a battle of verbatim, and not be raddled emotionally.

It only coincided with what his former fourth had reported, this was not Kurosaki Ichigo, the boy, the ryoka or the shinigami substitute, he was an elite enforcer, from the very definition of supreme.

Aizen however, even in the face of such prestige was not afraid, concerned to a great extent mind you, but not afraid, this was just another hurdle for him to overcome. He would continue his verbal warfare for as long as the kid allowed, because he saw straight through the presence of Kurosaki in that moment, this was a courtesy more than anything else. If he had come to lock horns, they would've done so by then. By continuing to converse, Aizen hoped to extract a possible out for himself above anything else.

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"_Damn that Ichigo…" _A ryoka spoke with unrivaled contempt

"_I thought we agreed on a covert insertion, damn him! He just had to be the lone ranger!" _The intruder visualized strangling Ichigo, for having deviated from the norm.

"_I understand his desire for no one to be hurt, but how many times must we go through this?" _A second ryoka replied, even though the only response he got for a while was a little more than a growl.

_The purr of anger shifted to a slight concern and curiosity, as the ryoka searched existence for his presence but came up short. "I can't sense him, he must be delivering the warning, as foolish as it is. It would be better just to kill the traitor and be done with it." _

"_You're right, but those are not our orders!" The companion spoke as they continued on course. _

Within the protective shell of Sereitei, pair of intruders glided through the air, each taking advantage of a desert colored cloak, which granted the affinity for defiance of gravity.

"_Now where am I?" _the first ryoka spoke silently, reaching out with the furthest reaches of her spiritual ability.

"_Easy for you to say, you're right over there, I'm not even in this dimension. Furthermore, I wouldn't even have control of myself if I reintegrated." _The second laughed joyously, regardless of the plight of things, and they had just started over once more.

Attached to his hand such as she was, the second ryoka felt herself being slightly towed in the direction of the younger version of herself.

"_Look, she's right there!" _

She glanced down then back up to him with a most peculiar look on her face, _"Why are you speaking in third person?" _

Blinking several times, he replied a little confused, _"Well, you're here with me, and she's down there."_ instantly he shuddered as he noticed some additional presences with her, and of the sort he'd rather not see at that juncture. _"Ah damn, anybody but those two morons! Renji would've been fine, but we don't have time to deal with them." _

Rukia gazed down once more to find the source of his distress; the third seats of her division were escorting her to the first division headquarters, as the commander had called for her, in the light of new revelations.

"_Come on, I wonder whom of us they'll be likely to believe?" _She laughed, which surprised him due to her previous irritated attitude. Silently the other ryoka muttered, _"probably you!" _

The fliers soared over the younger shinigami with a delicate grace, not even flaunting their abilities in the slightest, unlike Ichigo they had decided to stick to the plan and keep a low profile, as much as possible. Ceasing their movements, the pair turned to face the younger generation, revealing themselves as they slowly descended, like angels, and given the identities of these ryoka, their appearances held the corresponding impression.

Hand in hand, the invaders dropped before the three shinigami, taking a knee out of respect. Rising once more, the boy ryoka raised his free hand up to the temple of his head in a two-finger salute, speaking _"What's up?" _

The amethyst eyes of the girl ryoka gazed around absentminded knowing this was the hard part of what they had done, the reintegration, and unlike her friend, she found it incredibly awkward.

Without question, if one were to query the sort of expressions etched in the face of the three, it would've most likely centered on mortification and otherwise complete and utter astonishment.

The younger of the two present Rukia knew of only one other person who looked exactly like her, and given the person she was attached to, her mind fired off the most logical conclusion. She trembled to say a name she had never spoken in the face of the genuine article, or at least what she considered to be it. In light of her brother's revelation, Rukia's thoughts about a respectful title conflicted with the notion of actual relation.

"Hisana-Nee-sama?"

The youngest of the Kotetsu sisters was without the ability to speak, so the other third seat did the talking for them, Sentarou cleared his throat, not wanting to make the mistake of saying the name incorrectly, in case this was actually a demon and not the person he was thinking of.

Even still, the real name was escaping him, more of a complete shock than actual memory loss, therefore from his trembling lips; only the former title came out. This was the man that they the third seats were holding the position of. Oddly enough he looked as if he hadn't aged a day since the last time he and Kiyone had seen him alive.

"Fuka-Taicho?"

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Ichigo's eyes lifted up slightly, and then retracted to their original lazy stare, but not before shifting from side to side, even with their powers suppressed, he knew his traveling companions had made it safely.

At the time, they weren't entirely sure of what time to return to, and when they neared the neighborhood of that moment, when the arrancar first appeared, Ichigo had shot ahead of them, seeing an opportunity at preventing hardship. Sweat dropping, the masked face of Ichigo sighed, knowing he was in for all sorts of hell when Rukia got her hands on him.

'_She'll probably turn me into an Ichigo-kabob, well, running is still an option. Then again, running only makes it worse, I might as well accept the punishment, if I want to see Inoue again that is.' _

Aizen noticed the trace of fear radiating from Ichigo, and with his scattering looks, truth or not, he decided to play with it a little bit, to see if he could get some answers from Ichigo, unwillingly if at all possible.

"It appears as though the gravity of your fate has settled in Kurosaki, you have walked into the lion's den, and killed one of my precious cubs."

Brushing off the scare tactic, Ichigo remained nonchalant, but turned up the sarcasm a little bit.

"You are referring to Ulquiorra correct? He was just a bit of quality control, I can't have the slain rising up, no, no, no, it would reflect poorly on my skills…hmm…"

Ichigo noticed that Aizen was a little disturbed by his presence there, naturally as anyone would conclude, having seen such a display.

"Are you feeling well Sosuke, to me you seem unbalanced, shaken perhaps."

"Your normal brand of confidence appears to be fractured a little, because you're just not making any sense."

"What nonsense are you talking about, I am of sound mind."

The former captain glared at him with the smile of a liar and the expression of surprise in that Kurosaki continued to stand when he should kneel.

"Oh, I see, you just seem to be laboring under the delusion that eh, what's the expression, I should be shaking in my boots right now?"

"What did you say?" The eyes of the former fifth captain narrowed as anger began to swell within him, like molten rock filling the inner chamber of a volcano.

"That I should be afraid of you, there, that's a little clearer, being in love with yourself can sometimes cloud the mind."

"I acknowledge you as a rival, your prowess on the plains of combat are on par with my own. I am not incapable of seeing your wish to change things, but I believe your methods cause more harm than actual good. The transgressions of your older self upon me are hardly your fault, but are still insignificant compared to your sins upon the world. I will not stand here and prattle on about getting vengeance from you, that debt has been paid, I stand here now on the highest authority, but killing you once more is just a bonus."

"Make no mistake, you are hardly worthy of my fear, you are not the one I fear. You are not Kuchiki Rukia!" Kurosaki replied, nearly setting him off.

His voice was still the consequence of using the masked form. It was considered to be that of a hollow, even though it was not a general statement, only in reference to the internal being. The mask, the voice and the eyes were that of the inner conquered tenant.

It sang of one able speak underwater, a remarkable feat in and of itself, for someone without gills. A trait of most Vizard attributes, the tone was a distorted and slightly altered mimicry of the original. Unmistakably, it was darker than the original, which frightened some of the numeros, who considered this man some kind of demon.

"Her? Are you insane, her of all people?" Aizen gasped slightly, dismayed that he could be lowered in status of fear. Trembling with a trace of nearly unnoticeable anger, Sosuke continued with his verbal assault.

"I am astonished at your arrogance Kurosaki, it is you, who seem to be blinded by the reality of what you should fear!"

Ichigo laughed once more, earning him more than three hands worth of sniper dots, figuratively of course.

"You handled Ulquiorra quite remarkably, if given the chance, you could take maybe five others with you before you fell, outmatched as you are. Then again, confidence will not save you from what is clearly an act of suicide."

He didn't stop there, Sosuke continued with lyrical warfare without letting the boy get a word in.

"There are twenty-two of us in this room, Kurosaki, and only one of you, traveler or not, do you honestly expect me to believe you could take all of us?"

"Go ahead Sosuke, throw them at me, but I know how they fight, I've spent years fighting against the espada, I know each and everyone of them. Consequently, I also know you, and most of your tricks. I also know you're a real slippery bastard, when last we met; I had to kill you about three times. By all means, I'll take on your entire hand if you're foolish enough to make it so. To quote Kenpachi, I shall be enough!"

Picking up where he left off almost in mid-sentence, Ichigo continued, just as Aizen had done only a moment earlier. The espada couldn't believe the audacity of the masked man, he was either incredibly stupid or actually strong enough to back up those words.

"What you have, Aizen, is a moment to catch your breath, to pray, to do anything you might've wanted if ever given a day to yourself, it starts once I have departed and will conclude when I come for you. I'd prefer it if you didn't come quietly, you know, I'd like you to run, but that is your choice after all."

Lifting Zangetsu from the tile he had pierced, Ichigo held the blade aloft. He dissolved from sight with a level of speed and corresponding vehement gasp of energy on par with Aizen himself. Skirting the edge of the space the captain was occupying, Ichigo stood back to back with the exile, a feat that humbled many of the espada, who didn't even see the transaction of placement occur? Even the seventh, whose speed was supposed to be the most intense, could not fathom the velocity employed by this kid.

What no one had the range to witness was the trail of crimson, which lingered in the wake of Kurosaki. His blade had not been idle during his trip; it traveled from the side of Aizen's stomach nearly up to his shoulder blade, lightly leaving its mark.

Aizen had been reduced in his inability to speak; the kid had danced around him only to stand behind him. Such an affinity for dissolving from sight was something only he had mastered, and yet there Ichigo stood, momentarily a blur not even his eyes could follow. Furthermore, he winced in pain and nearly dropped to a knee, only to the shock of the hollows remain standing. He hissed like a snake in visible discomfort, as his hand reached over and felt the incision.

The notion was not invisible, that he could've died in that instance, if only the kid wished it so, Aizen could've been without a head or torso for that matter… the time for jokes had passed.

With the utmost serious attitude, Ichigo ended their conversation, and begun the day of reprieve.

"This time, Aizen Sosuke…", he spoke drawing down upon the sky with his blade as a finger, opening the envelope of darkness that was Gargantua.

"This time, you shall receive no further quarter, I don't care how many more times I have to travel, you will never sit upon the throne of the king… again…"

Aizen shuddered an incoherent gasp, as he turned to stare at the back of Kurosaki. The yellow eyes of the Vizard regarded the tree colored eyes of his mortal enemy.

To such an implication, he had no words, nor could he even escape the momentary aura of awe. Aizen had been prepared for the likelihood of someone coming to prevent his ascension, not his return to the throne as it were. This was as monumental as it was deathly serious to him.

To be worth such continual persecution, Aizen realized he must've scorned the king to an unforgivable extent.

In a voice that was both comical and deadly serious, Ichigo spoke two final words that were to Aizen, the turn of an hourglass.

As he leapt into the darkness, he turned to stare into the eyes of Aizen as the murky void enclosed him, "Good day!"

Turning, he and the portal vanished from sight, and Aizen stumbled, and then righted himself, unmistakably humbled and afraid.

Stark, the first espada remained stationary throughout the whole ordeal, leaning up against a wall casually. Intervention had not been granted, so he didn't make a single step, but in the face of such a display, he couldn't help but doubt, the will of the man without fear who was visibly shaking in it. Of the nineteen present arrancar, nine remaining espada, he was the first, and therefore the first to raise such a flag.

"Where do we go from here, Aizen-sama? If you think we can win against the forces of the king, then I will remain. If all is lost, I will leave you to your fate, it's as simple as that. There is an enemy before us now, even with you, we have reason to be concerned."

The other espada and numeros, stood there breathlessly taking in every word. His answer would clearly decide the fate of the espada, or whether there would even be such a group anymore. It also meant that Aizen and his lackeys could've been about to be sacked or fired as it were. Some of the weaker arrancar wondered if they could sacrifice Tousen or Gin to this Kurosaki, in appeasement to what would be a total massacre.

Ichigo may as well have tarred and feathered him; Aizen had just been made as a chicken.

There wasn't time to think or plan, only a solitary declaration could keep Stark at his side, so he said it, even though he was considering running for the hills, metaphorically, until he could gain more power.

"Stark, prepare Las Noches for imminent attack!"

Bowing respectfully, the first espada replied knowing he had made the right call for the moment, but still he wondered if there was any chance of them surviving the storm that would come, twenty-three hours and change from then.

"As you wish, Aizen-sama!"

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A sneeze echoed through the empty casino, as Kenpachi wiped his nose on his shoulder.

"Ken-chan, where is everybody?" a certain roseate shoulder ornament wailed into the ear of her makeshift father.

Zaraki had come to Kusajishi in search of a good time if one could be had, but his usual stomping grounds, the gambling parlor had been wiped out. Mainly it was Kariya who had turned on the manager and his supporters during the bounto invasion, only Kenpachi didn't know about it. It wasn't that he was totally upset, he had some camaraderie with those guys, weak as they were, and they were still drinking buddies.

Yachiru's head popped up as a trace of reiatsu lingered in a passing wind, it was Ichigo's and she proudly called on it, alerting Ken-chan.

"I sense Ichi!"

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah, Ken-chan, he's fighting with someone very strong!"

Due to their great distance from Sereitei, the elite of the eleventh were most likely the last to know about Ichigo's return.

Zaraki Kenpachi started to tremble, not out of fear obviously, but anticipation, in his giddy sort of perversion, he felt a fight was approaching, a big one.

"Oh and here I thought I'd have to wait until winter for the main event?"

Upon a rooftop he leapt, pulling his subordinate daughter along for the ride, dashing towards the walled castle in the center of heaven. Then he stopped for a moment, remembering where he was.

They weren't very far away from the residence of the Shiba clan, and he smiled to himself, "maybe a little action might be a good idea, and if not, maybe Kuukaku has a door to human world?" Sauntering off into the woods, If there was a gateway within the Shiba residence to be found, it'd be worth stepping on the landmine of seeing Kuukaku again.

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A blond haired girl, with pigtails stalked the leader of the Vizard like a jungle cat, eyeing him from the forest, as he sat most precariously in the midst of shinigami. He didn't even have to see her to notice the rotten aura of killer intent directed at him, and just as Hirako had predicted, Hiyori was on him faster than dogs to a mail carrier. The trash-talking tomboy had been preceded only by a flying sandal, which struck Shinji in the back of the head most mysteriously like a shuriken.

To the shinigami captains, she appeared nothing more than an elementary school girl, wearing a red jogging suit, sandals and most unexpectedly having a sword dangling from her right shoulder.

Hirako reached back only to find that the object had drawn blood, and to his horror, he scoped down at the sandal and realized he was dead.

"You traitorous dick-head!"

The shinigami captains, as well as the friends of Kurosaki gasped at the profanity as it was coming from a short girl younger than Inoue it appeared. The girl strolled up rather fuming mad like a volcano and didn't pay any attention to the captains nor the others, even though their presence was well enough to warrant such an action. Grabbing Hirako by the scruff of his neck, Hiyori proceeded to slap the living hell out of him.

Kyoraku seemed the only one able to intervene on the behalf of their newfound friend, and as he began to mention something, the girl stopped dead in her tracks, glaring at him with red, reiatsu enhanced eyes.

As much as Byakuya loathed helping someone like Hirako, the exile had his uses, and with so much as raising a solitary finger, he cast his favorite means of control: the yellow six-rod flower that was art of binding #61. Hiyori ceased her movements, not of her own accord, and this time shifted her visible contempt onto Byakuya.

"If you would be so kind as to stop this unsightly display!"

Scooping out the captain that dared to use Kidou on her, Hiyori's mouth was already primed with the sort of references that could make a dockhand go crimson with embarrassment.

"Why should I listen to you, you dick-less excuse for a shinigami? Oh right, I passed a wedding store along the way, they want their tiara back!"

But where Isshin had concluded a blade would fall, and pink would wipe the girl from the face of the earth, Kuchiki-Taicho had gained some composure from their own verbal warfare, in spite of such ungodly words he remained solemn and arrogant.

Byakuya only replied with "Shinji Hirako, if you wish to survive this day, please gain control of your subordinates. How about I offer compromise, I can place her inside a receptacle, being the trash that she is!"

"What did you say?" Hiyori mouthed to herself before speaking it aloud, and with a fury rivaling that of a riot, a white mask bathed in red reiatsu began materializing above her head, only to be grasped with the fingers of her right hand in the open eye slots. Thrusting down, Hiyori assumed the full and unrelenting mantle of the Vizard. Her spiritual force thundered around the means of her incarceration, severing it as though it were a rope of the thinnest cloth. Having donned the single horned mask, Hiyori appeared similar to a demented rhino, with the presence of a hollow of great stature, even though she was still so tiny. With only a shifting of her eyes, the binding spell severed itself from sight, and her intentions were solely on Byakuya. Reaching back, Hiyori wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her blade, issuing it shore leave from its holder.

From its waist-mounted scabbard, another katana slowly saw the light of day once more. This time it was not drawn in anger, but partial respect, the girl who he considered less than scum under his heel, was still someone he couldn't turn his back on. Focusing himself, reality around them blurred, as he set the full and unrelenting force of himself on her.

"I had come here in search of a Vizard, while you are not the one, you will suffice."

Once more, the hand of a white haired man reached out and plucked Byakuya from attempting to murder someone. Just as he had done when Ganju and Hanatarou tried to rescue Rukia, Ukitake warned Kuchiki-Taicho not to do anything more than they were assigned.

"Kuchiki-Taicho, you were not given orders to fight any Vizard, nor can we have you if an accord is to be reached between us. Cease this action now!"

His eyes didn't even leave the horned girl, he knew better than to take his eyes off an opponent, regardless of whatever merit a distraction might have. He wasn't blind nor deaf enough to notice the unsheathing of other swords, exiles and captains alike were preparing to stop him.

"Ukitake, this discussion is pointless, ally or not, eventually we will come for them, so better to do it now, then drag ourselves in the mud by siding with their kind.

Ukitake was left with nothing to say, even though it appeared as though Byakuya had somewhat agreed with their desire to have a ceasefire, the captain had once more jumped out of the frying pan only to leap back into the fryer.

A solitary fist drove through the pressure enhanced air, having fallen from a then revealed portal of black, closely resembling a mouth. It had come almost instantaneously with the coinciding of Byakuya's verbal revolution. As the portal broke upon itself, retreating into its own world, the fist collided with the chin of an arrogant captain. It had been sent by a blur which none of the others had gathered sight of until the resonating strike. Skin rippled to bone as if the deliveryman had set off a grenade right next to his opponent's face. Scarlet soared from the mouth that gave way under such unexpectedly brutal force. It were as though the intruder had shot him point blank.

Senbonzakura pierced itself within the ground, as Byakuya braced himself from what he knew would be a blow enough to knock him off his feet. He may not have noticed the incoming attack, but he wouldn't let himself fall furthermore enhancing his disgrace. For an instance, the faculty of sight remained distorted; the corresponding eye was unable to open due to the shuddering waves of pain. Clouded eyes awoke to the reflections of yellow, cast against an endless night, just like the girl, just like Hirako, just like that time on the execution hill. This was not just Kurosaki Ichigo, but the mask of red and black smears.

Then came that voice, the distortion of the original tone, but it wasn't ecstatic as the inner self had been during their fight, it was solemn and to the point.

"Enough Byakuya, there isn't time for your righteous arrogance!"

His name resounded in numerous voices through various forms and mannerisms of respect.

"Ichigo!", "Kurosaki-kun!", "Kurosaki!"

Orihime's stumbling voice was the only one his ears cared enough to notice. Inoue clenched her heart for no reason other than the art of fighting off the weights of fear and doubt holding her from speaking to him. Trembling forward, she welcomed him home.

"Wel…Welcome back, Kurosaki-kun!"

"I'm back Inoue" he softly replied, still sporting the mask of irregularities.

Removing that which kept his face concealed from her, Ichigo reduced his physical presence considerably, returning his eyes to the way nature intended, as the rest of him followed suit. Lifting from the slots in which his eyes protruded, Kurosaki didn't immediately crush the mask, just set it over to one side of his head, as if he could recall it in a moments notice if necessary.

"The message has been sent, we have one day and then the nightmare is over."

"That's…really good…" Inoue managed to speak as her heart was on fire at the thought of him taking her hand as he promised to one day…

Byakuya fought the urge to double over in pain, so for the moment it kept him speechless, even though he didn't need the injury to make him so. His strength had improved every bit of what the sensors detected, if not more. It was scary, witnessing the full visage of the mask, and his ease of transferring it on and off only proved that the master had crushed the invader.

"Excuse me, Ichigo-kun? How, no what, what in the stars is going on here?" Ukitake Jushiro regarded him cautiously as he remained in close proximity seeing as though his hand had been on Byakuya's shoulder only an instance before the strike.

"I have been sent by the one who stands in the sky. As an archangel, I am merely fulfilling his will. But if some proof you require other than the examples of ability I have this…"

His hand slipped inside the white robes under his silver jacket, pulling forth a golden chain, and the very thing Aizen sought to revive.

As it came into sight, a universal chill was cast on those who recognized, solely by its presence.

"Kurosaki, are you insane?" Ukitake roared, "you just saw Aizen and yet you had the key with you?"

"Relax, Ukitake-san, even if he had the key, he couldn't do anymore than I could."

"What do you mean?" Kyoraku piped up as he thought he was up to date on all the knowledge about the key and yet the boy seemed to have more.

"The king's key has a two-fold protection affinity. Firstly, the initial usage of it can only send a person into the past, but it must be a moment of their lifetime, so meeting the king is out. Secondly, the key will not open the door to true heaven unless a requirement is met. It's like a zanpakuto, only its final release can open the door, but it must be held in possession for a millennia. To date, every holder has either died or grown wise enough to see the foolishness of using the key. If evil intentions still lingered in the heart of the holder, the key would destroy the blasphemy within owner. Due to my status, I can use it, but my companions can also use it."

"Companions? You didn't come alone Kurosaki?"

Concealing the key once more under his cloak, Ichigo continued to converse with his friends and allies.

"My home and future had been damaged beyond repair, so I was sent to this time and place with the key, empowered enough to prevent unnecessary hardship and destruction. Yes, I wasn't alone this time… I brought with me a friend of ours, and a friend of yours, Ukitake-Taicho."

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Wisps of clouds peacefully drifted by him, as Abarai was tapping his heel wondering what the hell was taking Rukia so long. He was told she would be escorted to the first division headquarters by members of her own squad, more for formality than anything else, but she was unusually tardy.

Tardiness was the least of his worries though, Ichigo had gotten himself into something big, specifics weren't mentioned but three captains had been dispatched to human world without adjutants. More so an irregularity, various power levels had been popping up here and there, the commander had a two-foot high pile on his desk of all the reports from the sensory board.

'_Just what on earth is going on, and where are you Rukia?_' He thought silently as a breeze rippled through the red pineapple atop his head.

Another passing gale brought with it a familiar trace of aura, which caused his slacking eyebrows to twitch as he noticed it.

'_She's nearby, but stationary?'_ he thought as he began to saunter off to smack some sense into her; it wasn't a good career move to keep the commander waiting.

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Rukia was expecting to be called by her dead sibling, but even hearing the name by her own lips was a surprising aspect. Pulling from her cloak a white spiral pad of paper the unmistakable squeaking of a permanent marker could be heard in the grim silence between the questions of identity and the truth.

Turning her work onto her younger self, the traveler began to explain, pointing to a chappy with dark hair on either side of the page.

"I am you Rukia, only I am from another time, I have come to save everyone from Aizen, so has Ichigo and his twin, Kaien."

"So that is you Shiba Fuka-Taicho?" Kiyone muttered almost to herself.

The mortal bound Rukia fired off a relevant question, as her mind was not totally bogged down by the fact that herself was standing in front of her.

"So does this mean you're going to kill me or conquer me?"

Sentarou and Kiyone immediately assumed defensive positions in front of her; she had not yet recovered her shinigami powers and was thus weakened.

Drawing out her sword, the traveler pierced it into the tiles before them.

"No, but we'll have to merge our souls. We'll integrate ourselves into each other, but we'll share one body as two of us cannot exist in any moment for longer than a moment, or we'll die.

"So it's just like killing me, I don't have a choice?"

"What's there to be concerned with?" Kaien added, "you'll be many times stronger, and you'll have me…"

"What do you mean?" the younger Kuchiki asked poignantly.

A hand returned the marker and spiral to her cloak and intertwined with the closest respective hand of Kaien, as he used it to pull her into an embrace.

"Kaien and I are lovers."

Needless to say, a universal "EHHH?" echoed in the surround district.

"But Rukia", Kaien started to say with her still close enough to kiss, "does this mean I'll have to chase you down all over again, not that I mind it, it's just that I, you know how I feel, and to have to make you fall for me all over again would just be so troublesome."

Smiling, the two of them embraced further, connecting the truth of their hearts with the merger of their lips, which he actually had to lift her up to accomplish properly. They spun around happily for a moment like two lovers having found themselves after several years apart, only to have him set her down and they parted.

The younger Rukia blushed excitedly having witnessed something so romantic, it was a rarity that she cherished like any other girl would, naturally dreaming of it happening to her as well.

"I did it for you didn't I, we won't have to worry about it this time, she is not the same as I was."

"What do you mean, Rukia?" he asked, as he could no sooner point out a physical difference than other than clothing.

"This is a Kuchiki Rukia who was forgiven by your sister for your death, she no longer carries the scars of having killed you, I think she'd be more open to love than I was."

"We'll see I guess", he replied casually.

"So how do we do this?" the younger one interjected, wanting to be on the receiving end of a kiss like that, and hopefully not dying as her older one suggested might happen if they didn't wrap things up.

"Place your hand on the hilt and so will I, we'll say the call phrase and that'll be it."

Following orders, both Kuchiki held the blade, and closed their eyes.

"**Mai, Sode No Shirayuki!" **(Dance, sleeve of the white snow)

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Having retired to the highest echelon of the highest tower, Sosuke could not have been more disturbed. He didn't sit there idly passing the time sipping tea; he cherished the moments of piece that remained.

He was afraid.

Aizen had refused medical attention, the wound continued to sting him as if he had lost an arm, but for his immediate plans, it served a purpose. With a snap of a hand, a giant stone cup, a chalice arose from the tiled floor just like the cylindrical holder of the Hougyoku.

Dabbing both of his pointer fingers into the wound, a small amount of crimson essence appeared. With both painted fingers, he brushed the upper edge of the cup, which poured the scarlet into the well of water contained inside. The red swirled around in the clarity and purity of the water, negating it, making it tarnished, upon which it burst into flames. It was a pyre like gasoline and water, burning even though it sat upon an eternal extinguisher.

The liquid within the chalice began to vibrate as a voice echoed from it.

"_**Have you made your choice Sosuke?" **_

"The climate has shifted, unfavorably."

The recipient had been connected to Sosuke through the burning cup; it was an alchemistic artifact, which bridged dimensions that needless to say, no shinigami had ever attempted. The source could feel the ripples of fear radiating from Aizen, this was a most unusual and extremely rare occurrence, something most dreadful must've happened.

"_**You're shaken, almost distraught! Sosuke, what is going on?" **_

"There's no time left, I have been exposed."

"_**What do you mean, the shinigami know of you already!" **_

"The king is openly acting against me, I just met with an enforcer from the future!"

The words of Aizen echoed through the span of worlds, striking the receiving end with a furious arctic chill, regardless of the irony of such a thing in such a place.

"_**Damn archangels! What about Stark, has he turned on you yet?' **_

"_**You know why he follows you, why the king of all hollow bows to a human?" **_

"Almost instantly Stark objected, asking if I was corrupted by fear."

"_**A war between you and the hollows must be prevented at all costs. Our goals would be crushed if Stark turned on you. The hollow king knows of my alliance with you, do not consider him a fool Sosuke, he is just as strong as you." **_

"Then what would you have me do, throw myself at the mercy of Kurosaki whose already pledged to kill me outright for the pleasure of it?"

"_**Kurosaki you say? What form has he taken Sosuke?" **_

"A shinigami I had humbled once before who wields a black long sword, he's also a Vizard."

"_**Damn it, why did it have to be him, fuck! You've bitten off more than you can chew Sosuke." **_

"_**I will not wait a millennia for another successor to arise, we must consolidate our efforts if we are to see another sunrise. You know I am bound to this place, only you can carry me out." **_

"How can I open the portal, must I permanently kill myself?"

"_**No, sacrifice one of your subordinates, preferably a worthless one, but it must be one of the purest darkness." **_

Aizen hadn't used an honorable suffix in quite a long time, for there had been none in the world of the hollows higher than himself. It almost felt like a curse to speak it, but still he formed the words, which would set off a chain of events that would make him strong enough to face Kurosaki, or die trying. This was the last and only person he would ever bow to.

"As you command, Lucifer-sama".

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_**A/N: **Surprise, bet you thought I wasn't going to continue this. Well the thought had crossed my mind I'm afraid. I've been so focused on moonfang I hadn't thought about this for three months. I'm stuck at a particularly troublesome part in moonfang at the moment so I decided to work on this with the suggestion of some readers. As you can tell, some of my ideas from my first piece have found their way over here, as well as some undocumented thoughts. I created this chapter in less than a week, I can't promise a swift turn around though. _

_To be honest, I'm glad I waited, because the direction of this story has shifted dramatically from where I was three months ago. You all might not share that sentiment. _

_The title of this chapter is one that has been used 3 times by Kubo Tite in the manga; it was used most recently with the return of Kenpachi to the spotlight. The manga's gotten so exciting lately, I cherish the day it arrives as well as curse it for being the start of the longest moment until the next chapter comes out. _

_For a moment this week I felt dyslexic, I thought the translator had written "because you pointed your sword at my bride" which to be honest would've been a much deeper statement than just his "pride" I was thinking Kubo you bastard! I was thinking that perhaps he was revealing a motive or deeper feeling of Byakuya. _

_Anyways, thanks for reading, and please let me know what you thought of it, and if you ever want to know what a Getsuga Tenshou tastes like, Gatorade has a flavor called super bowl berry which looks just like the black moonfang! _

_Thanks for playing along and have a nice day!_

_Ceria Halcyon _


	4. Rupture my Replicate

_**Disclaimer: **Both the chapter title and the subject matter are the property of Kubo-sensei, while it's without permission, my usage, at no time do I ever claim to own bleach. _

_**The Archangel **_

_**IV **Rupture my replicate _

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"_Place your hand on the hilt and so will I, we'll say the call phrase and that'll be it." _

_Following orders, both Kuchiki held the blade, and closed their eyes. _

"_**Mai, Sode No Shirayuki!" **(Dance, sleeve of the white snow) _

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Without a doubt, he had felt Rukia's presence, which for lack of a better term at the moment was in remission. It would've recovered maybe less than a quarter percent by that day and yet it to him was even stronger than it had ever been.

Turning the corner, he thought he heard a breath of her saying the call phrase for her soul slayer, thought he saw two Rukias…

Renji stood there baring an abstract expression as everything in his sight had been dwarfed by a vehement cyclone of white snow, chilling his skin from the temperature as well as the unbelievable limit of power. Reality rippled around him, accompanied by the sound of wind being compressed to a hiss due to such gravity.

The force of the world's own aura forced him to take a knee, as the tornado before him exploded in size, rushing over him and the silhouettes of darkness he thought he also saw adjacent to her.

He was not the only one to fall, rather not the only vice captain in proximity, the first and the seventh fell while their captains stood in quiet awe, pondering all manner of possibilities.

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A voice resounded from the captain who was larger than a standing bear, and quite as ferocious, even though his species was something an ordinary person wouldn't consider so.

"What, how? Is this supposed to be Kuchiki?"

Given the recent events, the defection of Aizen Sosuke, the appearance of a radically charged Vizard Kurosaki, this was just another irregularity, which pointed, no screamed; blinked like a neon sign at him of the likelihood of a connection.

"Damn, even with us there, he could've killed her and yet he didn't, for some time now I've wondered why? Then again, why would Aizen Sosuke kill his own planted sleeper?"

Reaching out with words he instructed his lieutenant to inform the other captains of this development. To them, the situation had just reached defcon1: batten down the hatches, full zanpakuto release granted, no setting phasers to stun, it was shoot to kill. The energy, which pulsed around them, was a localized phenomenon with the impact of more than three times the highest level of measurement.

It was more than he; the captain commander could handle alone. With Kyoraku and Juushiro, he could've taken her. Their deployment in human world along with Byakuya left Yamamoto in weakened position. Kenpachi wasn't even in Sereitei, and Mayuuri wouldn't care enough even if the commander himself summoned him. Even Soifon was deployed in the sectors of the outer walls, with her division scattered at the four entrances, in the expectation of another incursion.

Those directly involved in the Aizen incident, I.E. Hitsugaya Toushiro and the vice captains of the defected divisions were sequestered into cleaning duty, based on the assumption of a lingering hypnosis cast by Aizen. This of course only furthered Hitsugaya's arrogant and grumpy attitude.

Aizen had trounced Toushiro, he should've been training, not sweeping…

Thankfully, the only other captain of close reiatsu proximity was standing at the commander's side. Walking slowly, Genryusai Yamamoto with the demonic fox in tow, exited the chamber, marching to war.

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The reintegration of Kuchiki Rukia concluded with a lessening of the blizzard-like conditions that rained upon the sector.

Kaien would've been impressed, with her spiritual presence, had he not been undergoing a merger of his own. It was something that when done willingly would be painless, but not so clean when done by force. Naturally, two beings of the same soul cannot exist in any frame of existence, and when a time traveler pops out of whatever time past or present, if special precautions are not taken, then the weaker of the two will collide and fuse into the stronger one. It was like cell division, only instead of one cell creating an exact copy, two copies united to form a stronger individual.

Within the throne chamber of Las Noches, the espada who were closest to Arleri could only watch in dismay, as both of his floating heads screamed in their own opposite polarities of excruciating pain. Smoldering, the ninth espada was burning away from his own existence; his consciousness and hold on his own life and world would eventually leave him and put his power in the control of another. It was as though someone had hit Arleri with a disintegration ray gun. His arms and legs burnt away as the energy flooded him, only he didn't incur such a wound, he was by way of the king's law being broken down and inserted into the dominant version of himself.

At last it was over, and Aaroniero Arleri and all of the near countless souls affixed to him ceased to be, and Kaien ceased to be as he was.

An unusually familiar signal of spirit force rocked Sereitei, with its own twinge of darkness, attributed by the presence of an equally unusually strong hollow. Most capable of noticing the distinction agreed it had to be Kurosaki, but why on earth would he be in Sereitei again? And didn't three captains just journey to human world to meet with him?

As she had been snow, he was a cloud of endless water molecules that in the presence of snow only became more snow. Aside from the fact of their relationship, they were naturally made to interact and fight together.

Rukia awoke with a laugh at the sight of the new improved Kaien. You could say he wasn't exactly the same, in that a billowing cloak covered him, with a bushy sort of rippling collar like the arrancar, which had merged with him. In essence it was just like the fusions of the anime shows, a new character had emerged with the characteristics of both pieces. It wasn't white, the cloak, but sort of a blackish blue; his reiatsu was naturally that color due to the water, which Nejibana controlled. Kyoraku-Taicho would've been jealous in that it was obviously an article of clothing for someone flamboyant.

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Abarai Renji had stumbled in the wake of the transformations but still couldn't figure the identity of the other until he got closer, alerting them to his own miniscule presence.

"Oy Rukia, what the hell is going on here, was that your power, has it returned finally?"

He glanced over at the dark haired fellow casually then regarded him with a simple hello before returning to her.

"Sup Ichigo?"

His mind for some reason considered the presence of Ichigo to be normal because it had been only a short time prior when such a thing was ordinary.

"You've gotten stronger Rukia, that's excellent, maybe you'll get to be a vice capt…ain like…me…" He trailed off at that moment as it finally clicked into place that Ichigo being there wasn't entirely a good thing.

Without caring to notice the fact that two women were present, Renji fired off a question with a pretty harsh expletive included.

"What the fuck are you doing here Ichigo?"

"Kuchiki-Taicho should be meeting with you and yet you're here, how strange."

Before Kaien could speak, Renji's mind cycled forward to point out the change in hairstyle of which he most likely should not have spoken.

"I like the new do, black's a good color for you, shifting his left hand to cover his mouth slightly he laughed…I always thought you looked like a fruit!"

Rukia had always thought Renji was dense, but to take the Ichigo notion that far was enough to make her and the third seated officers behind her face vault.

With the reaction of Rukia, Renji suddenly got the idea that he had fouled big time, as though he had just spoken the same lines to a group of activists, and as such felt the need to cover his rear.

"Not that there's anything wrong with being a fruit; your life, your lifestyle, who am I to say anything?" 'There, that should erase that little fuck-up…'

Both Rukia and Kaien were doubled over laughing, they couldn't believe he still had not gotten the flashing bulb that the man before him was clearly not Kurosaki. Soon after, Renji joined in the laughter hoping he could shy away from his earlier screw-up.

After breathing for a moment, Kaien took Renji by the shoulder, lightly placing his own hand atop it.

"Abarai", Kaien spoke, looking into the lieutenant's eyes, his voice was deeper and more prideful than Ichigo's "When you first met Ichigo, who did you think he truly resembled?"

"When I first saw Ichi…" the silhouette of the thirteenth vice captain popped into his head, which left him only able to vehemently burst "NO WAY!"

He glanced over at Rukia to affirm that this was not a joke, he glanced upon the tattoo of the arm, which held him, and it was…

"Shiba Fuka-Taicho?"

Rukia and Kaien's heads instantly popped up, their eyes narrowing but not in response to Renji's question. A resonating like the striking of a drum, reiatsu hissed around them, not at the height it had only moments earlier, but of an impressive amount.

With the sound of a zipper being opened ridiculously fast, two shinigami captains appeared before them, and Kaien pushed Renji away, sensing a serious and unmistakable urge to kill.

There was no need to consult Rukia on this matter; Kaien knew straight ahead they didn't have time to waste with Ichigo on the prowl. Talking with the commander was something for afterwards, when or if they happened to win the war. Speaking to him in his current _'kill anything that remotely appears like Aizen_' state of being would take precious time.

Revealing the inscription upon his own arm to them, he placed two fingers before his eyes, as if he were to gouge them out. Kaien bellowed like the angry cry of Spinosaur having found a tyrannosaur in his territory. The tiles below him broke away and lowered his own position cratering slightly. The force of gravity Kaien wielded far outweighed anything the commander could produce, and Yamamoto was suddenly aware that it wasn't Kurosaki or Kuchiki he should be afraid of.

It was the man with the swirl of Shiba, a man who should've been completely dead.

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Shiba Kuukaku dropped the cup of tea in her hand, and it fell relentlessly and mercilessly into the ground, obliterating itself and spilling its contents. A wave of familiarity had crashed into her like a tidal surge, tearing the notions of her reality, what she had created to support herself since that day, since he fell.

She couldn't for the cost of her own life or that of Ganju explain what she was sensing, he was back; the pressure which had to be scaring the absolute shit out of whomever was before it, was that of her long dead brother, Shiba Kaien! Bursting from the doorway, into the hall and up the stairs, which lined the exit of her domicile, the one who was no longer the eldest of the Shiba clan leapt into the sky, and out of sight. Tears lined the edges of her eyes, of regret, and equally of the holy vengeance she wound enact on anyone if this happened to be a rouse.

Kuukaku wasn't the only one to cease abruptly, Kenpachi stirred in silence; the sensation of giddiness, which had appeared at the sensing of Ichigo's new power, was overwhelmingly outshone by the presence of Kaien, even though he knew not of the identity. To him it was someone or something that seemed more appealing than what he would incur with Kurosaki. Without a peep or mention to Yachiru, their course heading changed to return home at faster than best speed, a '_burn the engine to the ground just get us back!_' kind of mentality was overruling his instinct to fear such a grand power.

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It ended just as it had before, by a reduction of the vehement storm of reiatsu, which swirled like a hurricane over the district he inhabited.

Only it didn't leave a stone unturned or a face unmasked.

Another Vizard had appeared before them, one far more powerful than any of their kind to date. Kurosaki was once considered the most formidable, but he was a lightweight, an insignificant pawn compared to Kaien. At least in the eyes of the supreme captain, that is, he could not have known that Kaien had just reached Ichigo's limit of power in the Vizard form.

An unusual notion popped into the commander's head at that moment, a possibility that only would leave him further in doubt.

'_Was this in fact the source of his ability to return from death, to assume a hollow personality to cross over into that which was considered the ultimate blasphemy for a shinigami?_'

At last the billowing cloak seemed right, as the proper mask had joined it, the one which looked like the sort of merciless tool found on the walls of a principal's office in the old days.

The mask was a curved plank of wood at its highest height, with straight lines intersected by a crease down the middle with holes on either sides of it. For nearly three feet it fell from the pinnacle, only to taper in, and then flair out in the shape of a diamond. It appeared like a seemingly ancient paddle, for flogging the shit out of someone.

The mask of the ninth espada once more saw the light of day. Along with it came the voice, or voices as it were.

"I was about to say" the deep baritone of a singer echoed from the mask.

"We didn't have time for idle conversation…" the high-pitched shrill of a voice continued that of its own other self.

Considerably, the sound of two clearly distinct and different voices from one man was an interestingly scary feat.

It wasn't the captain who spoke, but Rukia who appeared at ease by his side, and even commented him on the new form.

"To think you'd get both of the voices too, Ichigo's gonna laugh his ass off. It's fitting though, all things considered." she was referring of course to the fact it was Arleri which nearly killed her once before as she had done him in as well.

"Come on, Rukia"

"We have business to attend to", the voices chimed inexplicably.

"If you think you're going to escape having just shown us the mask, you're mistaken, Shiba Kaien!"

"_**You are mistaken," **_

"_**If you think your words to me hold any weight!"**_

Kaien was being irregularly defiant to the commander, but as it was a notion within the very core of either of them. The true archangels had little time to be splurging in conversation with someone who thought he was an archangel? The commander was a squire compared to the two of them, a shoeshine boy and nothing more, and most likely still considerably less.

"_**When I speak of business", **Kaien had thrust outward from himself, holding a dangling possession that had once been around his neck…_

"_**I mean, HIS BUSINESS!" **_

Once more, both voices struck at them, but with a more forceful and vengeful tone to them.

'_His' as in the only sort of reference that could apply to that dangling key. _

Rippling the sky before him with only the extension of a finger, Kaien leapt into the darkness, followed swiftly by Rukia who didn't give any of them a further glance.

Both the captain and the fox had been in very eloquent and directive words told to go fly a kite. Surprisingly, their own feelings of righteousness had been overruled by the ultimate source. Subordinates of the king had just appeared before them, how else could another key exist without a hole in the world they would've known about by then?

Humbled, had broken through the limits of understatements.

Before the shinigami stood proof, unrivaled and clear and present evidence that their king existed. In his old age the commander had started to doubt, that even in the light of Aizen, the king still remained up on high cloud.

Clearly, it was not the case anymore…

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A world away, at last the wave of Kaien's presence struck upon the world, with a burst of spiritual pressure existing only for a moment, but just enough to get the point across. Like a shockwave it reigned upon the world, uprooting trees and scattering leaves and earth.

While the shinigami, exiles and otherwise screamed in fear, Ichigo laughed.

'_My brother, I guess that makes us truly twins now?_'

Byakuya redoubled his efforts to stand; even with a broken mouth still he spoke.

"You…" gurgled coughing broke up his speech, "you seem amused at such a power, why?"

"That is the power of my brother, the one whom I am believed to resemble."

A chill even fiercer than the departing pressure echoed in the captains, the exiles and widened eyes to the limits of their ability to strain.

"You know how old people are, Yamamoto must've been real pushy… I'd love to fix his wagon real good, but that's not in the cards…"

In a flash of enigmatic darkness, a silhouette appeared back to back with Ichigo, while a shorter visage appeared knelt to him, having leapt down into the world. Rukia rose to face her friends family and otherwise.

Removing the mask with two fingers through two eye level holes, the other Ichigo emerged. In light of the irony of a shinigami being a dead person, a truly deceased man regarded them, who in fact did appear to be a dark haired twin of Kurosaki, even though their actual ages spanned more than a few centuries.

Now, regardless of however they might, it would be a time for further revelations, guesses and happy reunions, but just to clear the air and set aside all fears and doubts, Ichigo broke the ice.

"_**Just so there's no doubt, I assume you know what I am?**_

_Rukia's hand intertwined with the hand, which wasn't lowering the paddle mask, she lingered unusually close to him, as his lover. _

_Kaien unleashed his blazing smile, one which Ichigo never really seemed to master, to them he was definitely the more refined and more elegant of the two. Even with the disappearing holonized eyes, he was strikingly beautiful where Ichigo was not. _

"_**Knowing what I am, Kaien and Rukia… are what I am!" **_

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_**A/N: **I CeriaHalcyon do hereby wish a happy holidays to all of you! This time of year is twice as important to me, cause I turn a year older, which did back on the 13th. Most likely, this'll be the last Archangel chapter for 07, so I want to thank you guys for sticking with me, and I regret not being able to move on with Aizen's plotting but it's not really complete at this stage so I wanted to wait and make it something not thrown together. This'll be one of your gifts, I hope during my time off from work, (this time of year is dead for us so we close for 11 days!) to complete chapter 24 of Moonfang. I've bounced back and forth recently between the two, but found my way back here. I've also wrestled with some serious apathy towards writing, which for some strange reason ceased today. _

_If you guys haven't noticed, I've posted DL links for some songs on my homepage, they are the soundtrack for both Moonfang and Archangel, the most influential song for me for this chapter would have to be "Black Poison Blood" by Kill Hannah, you can find it on my page if you want to hear it. _

_Anyways, I wish peace to all the readers who enjoy this story and for you guys I have continued to write this, so I hope to see you all next year. _

_Thanks for playing along, and be sure to let me know if you liked this chapter, _

"_Ne!" _

_Ceria Halcyon _


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